Work In Progress
by mcfost
Summary: Liz Bennet is a Food Journalist just starting in Los Angeles. Will Darcy is a snobbish, yet super hot and super famous actor. Why are they constantly being thrown into situations together?
1. Liz and Jane Take Hollywood

**Ch. 1**

"Come on Liz. We only have four more boxes to bring up." Jane called from down the hallway while lugging a heavy box towards their new apartment. By the time she reached the door, she found Elizabeth face down on the floor in exaggerated exhaustion.

"I can't." Came Elizabeth's muffled voice as she lay face down in their new hardwood floor. "I've fallen and I can't get up."

Jane put the box down by the entrance of the door, walked over to her sister, and crouched down. She pat her back in a loving manner. "Just think: The sooner we get everything unpacked, the sooner we can enjoy our new life. Los Angeles is going to be so exciting!" Jane chirped.

"You're right...as always Janie. Maybe now that we're in L.A we can get our own reality show. How about 'Liz and Jane Take Hollywood.'" Liz joked, picking herself up from the floor.

Jane laughed, always amused with her sister's humor. She then grabbed Liz's hand and marched her into the elevator and down to the lobby. As they walked past the empty front desk to grab the remaining boxes, Liz spotted a copy of _US Weekly _sitting there, begging to be picked up. She knew most of the stuff printed in magazines was crap, but the picture on the cover was just too handsome to resist. She recognized the face from countless movies and tabloid magazines over the past few years. Liz picked it up, forgetting that she was supposed to be helping her sister. The cover read _William Darcy Single Again! _

Elizabeth let out a "Hmmphh." _This ought to be good._ Liz opened the magazine to the page with the spread on Will Darcy. The article read:

_The newly single man was spotted jogging in the park on Saturday. Although he refused to comment on the status of his relationship with model Caroline Bingley, his former girlfriend had a lot to say. Bingley said that "William and I are just taking a break. We are both two extremely famous people who have a lot on their plates right now..." She spent over an hour talking to the paparazzi about her ex-beau (For the entire impromptu interview, visit our website!). Bingley is confident that their relationship is not over yet and that the public will be seeing more of them together. Fingers crossed! Willine all the way!_

_Willine_? Elizabeth thought. The mixture of the name Will and Caroline didn't seem to fit well at all, and the couple itself didn't seem to fit well either.

Spread across the page was various pictures of the former couple. One of Darcy and Caroline leaving a nightclub, Caroline holding onto Will's arm for dear life. Another of the two at an awards show. Caroline had a smile plastered to her face and Will was clearly unhappy about being there. Even though his personality seemed to be seriously lacking from what the press always uncovered, Elizabeth had to give the man some credit, he looked good. He had broad shoulders and dark brown hair slicked back. Elizabeth thought the couple looked dreadful together. She let out a little chuckle from her spot leaning against the front desk. She was so engrossed in the article that she hardly noticed that Jane had loaded all the boxes into the elevator.

"What are you laughing about?" Jane asked from over Elizabeth's shoulder.

"Oh nothing. Just about how pathetic Caroline Bingley is. Apparently she and Will Darcy are 'taking a break'. She is so fake it's disgusting." Elizabeth said while holding up the magazine, allowing Jane to see the headline.

"Don't say that Lizzy. You don't know her. Maybe she is a very nice girl." Jane chided her sister.

_Of course Jane would say that. She's so nice that she would defend Satan. _

The two girls got into the elevator and Elizabeth pushed the button for the tenth floor. Still holding the magazine that she pilfered from the front desk, Elizabeth said "You're right, I don't know her. But I'm not only talking about her personality. I'm pretty sure those are fake too." She was pointing to the cleavage on a picture of Caroline at Venice Beach in a _very _tiny bikini.

Jane looked at the picture and shrugged. "Maybe she's just naturally busty."

"That could be true." Elizabeth conceded. "But I'll bet you twenty bucks that she got a nose job. She has a different nose in each picture."

"It could be the lighting." Was Jane's sweet response.

Her sister playfully smacked her shoulder. "Stop being so nice Jane. This woman is _super _fake. I'm pretty sure she's not even a real human."

"But you don't know her so you can't make unfair assumptions. You know what they say about assuming..." Jane's doe eyes staring straight into Elizabeth's soul, making it hard to not concede to her sister.

"Fine, I won't assume anything. I'm sure she's a nice person" Liz huffed. She opened her mouth to say something more but the elevator beeped, signaling their arrival to the tenth floor.

They quickly brought the boxes out of the elevator and into the hallway. Liz started dragging two heavy boxes towards the open door of their apartment.

"We probably should have closed the door while we went downstairs. This area is pretty sketchy. What if someone came in and stole all our stuff?" Jane voiced from behind Liz, dragging a box of her own.

"Well, they wouldn't have much to steal. It's not like we have anything of value to a potential burglar. That's part of the reason why we got this apartment, we're broke."

"Well hopefully not for long." Jane smiled. There was always a brighter side to everything in Jane's eyes. That was what Liz loved the most about her upbeat sister.

They returned to the hallway where that last box was waiting for them. The last box. One more box and they would be starting a new life. Away from their crazy family. No more constant annoyance from their over-emotional mother or their apathetic father or their silly sisters.

Jane reached down to grab the box but Elizabeth stopped her._ "_Here Janie, I'll get that. Wouldn't want you to hurt yourself before starting your new job tomorrow." Elizabeth picked up the box with difficulty, but managed to balance it on her hip.

"You're right. I'm so excited for tomorrow. I'm going to be working in Hollywood! Can you believe it!" Jane beamed. Her face lit up whenever she talked about her new job. Becoming a set designer had been a dream of hers for about 10 years now and Elizabeth had always supported her. When Jane decided to move to Hollywood to pursue her career, Liz followed. It didn't matter that much to Liz where she was as long as she had her sister.

Elizabeth loved writing and since her major was Journalism, she decided to get a job as a journalist in L.A when Jane told Liz she wanted to move. In her search for the perfect job, Liz found that she was able to combine two of her favorite things: food and writing. Liz landed a position as a restaurant writer for one of the top magazines in L.A. Elizabeth knew it would be a fun new adventure for her and her sister.

Elizabeth smiled as they entered their apartment with the last box. She smiled as she set it down. Liz truly was excited to start her new life with Jane.


	2. It's a Small World

**A/N: **Hey! This is my first story, so thanks a bunch for reading. I was happily surprised that people actually started following my story. I honestly didn't expect that. So thank you to those who reviewed. I really do appreciate it. You guys made my day.

This story is not going to exactly match the book, some elements are different, so I hope you stick around to find out what happens.

One last thing...

I didn't say this in the first chapter because I just assumed you all knew but here it is: I'm not Jane Austen. If I was, that would be pretty impressive, since I would be over two centuries old. But I'm not. Thanks for reading. Enjoy!

* * *

**Ch. 2**

"Ugh! There are still so many boxes. I feel like I'm in an episode of _Hoarders_!" Jane exaggerated as she navigated her way to the couch with her tea in hand.

"Oh please. There are only half a dozen boxes left and they're stacked neatly in the corner, thanks to you." Elizabeth sighed as she pointed to the corner where the stack of boxes lay. Liz was used to Jane's over-exaggeration when it came to cleanliness. Her sister was always a neat-freak.

"We've been here for almost two weeks and it still isn't feeling like a home yet though." Jane responded.

"Well both of us have been really busy with work. It will get there Janie, don't worry. Speaking of work, though, how has it been? We haven't even told each other how our first week went!" Elizabeth exclaimed. They hadn't talked much since Monday. Their time had been spent at work or at home unpacking.

"My first week was ah-mazing! My boss, Tara Guilles, has really taken me under her wing. She's teaching me all these tricks and tips. I think she really likes me. The company is starting the set for this movie next week called _The Adventures of Sean Riley_. It's supposed to be this Rom-Com, I think. Anyway, Tara is already asking for my input on the set and we get to go to the studio next Monday to plan out the design! Ahhh, Liz this is the best thing that has ever happened to me!" Jane gushed. She was so passionate about her new job.

"That's amazing Janie. Congrats!" Liz replied, reaching out to give her sister a hug. Jane always put her heart into everything she did, so Elizabeth wasn't that surprised to hear that Jane was already doing so well in her work.

"Thanks. Enough about me though, how was your first week?"

"It was pretty good. Oh my gosh! I forgot to tell you something. Do you remember Charlotte Lucas from high school?" Elizabeth asked.

"Yea, you two used to be really good friends, but then lost touch. Why do you ask?"

"Because she works at _L.A Mag_. I was looking for my bosses office Thursday so I was reading all the plaques on the door and one said 'Charlotte Lucas' so I popped my head in to see if it was really her, and sure enough, there she was!" Elizabeth said triumphantly.

"Wow. Did she remember you?"

"Yea she did. As soon as she saw me her eyes lit up and she ran from behind her desk to hug me. We made plans to grab lunch tomorrow."

"How weird." Jane said while sipping her tea. "Well I hope you too still connect."

The ringing of Jane's cell phone interrupted their conversation and they both glanced over to the coffee table where her phone was laying. They noticed the caller ID, it was their mother. Jane cautiously picked up the phone and answered it. She winced when her mother's piercing voice hit her ears.

"_Jane Marie Bennet! Why haven't you called? You said you would call when you settled in. It's been almost two weeks! I've been worried sick. I thought something happened to you." _Franny Bennet's voice boomed through the cell phone.

"Mom, I'm so sorry. Liz and I have been really busy this past week. But we're fine." Jane replied cautiously, not wanting her mom to break her eardrums again. To her surprise, her mother was calmer the next time she spoke.

"_Well as long as you're alright Janie. Is Elizabeth staying out of trouble?_"

"Of course, Ma. She has been too busy with work to get into any trouble" Jane gave her sister an apologetic smile for their mothers rudeness.

"_You're right. But I'll be checking up on her regularly. I don't want her making any trouble for me out there"_

"Wouldn't dream of it, mom" Elizabeth shouted into Jane's phone.

"_I almost forgot, Jane" _Their mother quickly said to change the subject away from her least favorite daughter. "_Have you found any new men out there? I'm sure you've managed to capture the eye of many wealthy young gentlemen"_

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. All that mattered to her mother was that her daughters were married to rich men. It was her mission.

"No, mom. Not yet. As I said, work has been taking up a lot of my time, but I'm happy where I am. No need to find a husband yet." Jane chuckled. Both of the sisters found their mothers antics to be funny and annoying and the same time.

For the next fifteen minutes, Jane sat on the couch talking to their mother on the phone. Most of the conversation was about Jane's insistence that there was no one in her life at the moment. By the time that she was done, Elizabeth was well into an episode of _Covert Affairs_.

When Elizabeth noticed that her sister was done talking to their mom, she spoke up, "I thought moving meant that we wouldn't have to put up with her shit anymore."

"Oh Liz, I'm so sorry. I know she can be a handful, but she means well. She just wants the best for us." Jane sympathized.

"No, she wants what's best for her." Elizabeth replied coldly.

At that, Jane cuddled up to her sister. "She's almost 3,000 miles away." Jane smiled at her sister then added, "And we don't always have to pick up the phone..."

Elizabeth smiled back. Jane really did have a good soul.

For the rest of the night, they watched re-runs of their favorite shows and talked about the city that was so new to them.

* * *

Liz could see Charlotte running down the street towards her. It was quite the sight. Hobbling in her 4-inch heels with her curly brown hair swaying back and forth. The street was busy and she attracted a lot of attention. Even more people turned to look when she started squealing "Lizzy! Lizzy!"

The sight just made Elizabeth laugh. Charlotte hadn't changed a bit. She was still the same bubbly person she was in high school. When Charlotte finally reached Liz she said, "Char! So good to see you again! We have so much to catch up on."

They both embraced each other like the long-lost friends they were. After they finally released each other, Charlotte exclaimed "I know! I'm so happy to see you. Let's go get some food. I'm starving!"

Elizabeth and Charlotte walked over to a café nearby. After they settled down in their seats, Charlotte spoke up enthusiastically, "Oh my gosh! I'm so glad we're working together! What are the odds that two girls from Philly woulds both move to L.A and work for _L.A Mag_?!"

Liz laughed. She forgot how much energy Charlotte had. "I don't know, but it's a small world." Elizabeth replied in a sing-song voice.

The two girls burst out in laughter, gaining a few angry stares in reply. The phrase reminded them both of elementary school where they had to perform _It's a Small World _and Elizabeth tripped on her dress and fell to the floor, sending poor Charlotte along with her. Most of their middle school and high school jokes had to do with that instance. If one girl went down, they both did.

When their hysterical hyena laughs died down, Charlotte asked seriously, "So how do you like _L.A Mag_?"

"Oh it's great!" Elizabeth responded. "But I haven't gotten anything big yet since I'm new. I just want to have the chance to write an amazing piece to show everyone what I can do."

"Well I'll put in a good word for you. You always were a great writer. Hell, you were better than me! You'll have the respect you deserve in no time."

"Thanks, Char." Elizabeth gave her friend a smile.

"How is Jane doing?" Charlotte asked.

"She's great. We're both out here together. Do you remember how she wanted to be a set designer? Well, she finally is one and she loves it. But I haven't talked to her too much lately since we've both been caught up in our work. I think we just need something to take our mind off of our jobs...and our nagging mother."

"Hah. I won't even ask how Mrs. Bennet is 'cause I can guess. Hey, you know what you and Jane need?" Charlotte asked.

"A hit-man to take out my mom?" Liz joked

Charlotte let out a loud bubbly laugh. "No! Well, I mean I probably know where you could find one but that wasn't what I was talking about! I think you and Jane just need a night out. We could go to a club!"

"I guess so. We haven't really been out much. You could show us around L.A."

"Yes! Alright, so it's settled. Tonight, we go clubbing!" Charlotte said triumphantly while holding up her hand in a fist as if she had just conquered their Saturday night.

The old friends sat for the rest of their lunch sharing laughs and reminiscing about their childhood. Hell, they still were children when they were together. At one point in their lunch, Charlotte flicked a carrot from her salad at Liz when she made fun of her old _Backstreet Boys _fetish.

After their lunch was over and the bill was payed, Liz gave Charlotte her address and they planned to meet at 8:00. The two girls said their goodbyes, promising to meet later to spend a night out on the town.

* * *

"I don't know about this, Liz." Jane said skeptically, leaning against the door frame to Liz's room.

"Yea, me neither. But it could do us some good. We've been under so much pressure at work to do well." Jane's sister responded while holding up potential dresses in front of her mirror.

Neither sister was big on partying, but Elizabeth was just glad that she would be spending time with Charlotte. She didn't even know what to wear to a club.

As she held out an out-of-date black velvet dress, Elizabeth grimaced. She really needed help with her wardrobe. Just as Jane was about to comment on the sad excuse for a dress, the doorbell rang. Jane rushed out of the room to get the door.

From her room, Liz could hear the bright voice of Charlotte yelling "Jane! How are you? It's been ages! You look great!"

After a few minutes of catching up, Jane lead Charlotte to Liz's room where there were clothes strewn across the floor and a distraught Elizabeth laying face down on her bed.

"Oh, honey." Jane said sweetly to her sister. "I was gone for only a couple of minutes and it looks like your closet threw up."

"I can't go. I have nothing to wear." Elizabeth groaned as she sat up on her bed, clutching a pillow.

"You can, and you will." Charlotte responded. She began picking up clothes on the floor to find an outfit for her friend. "This one will do."

Charlotte was holding up a green dress that used to stop just above her knees. Elizabeth groaned.

"No. The last time I wore that I was in high school. I think someone threw up on me the last time I wore it. Besides it doesn't even fit. I'm not sure why I still have it..."

"Hah. I think I remember you wearing this! You looked hot! Well, at least until Larry Stillinski barfed on you. Come on, Liz. Get up and put on the dress."

Reluctantly, Elizabeth grabbed the dress. She would wear the damn dress if it meant spending time with her sister and old friend.

Liz went into the bathroom and emerged a few minutes later wearing the dress Charlotte picked out.

"I look like a _whore_, Char. Jane tell Char that I look like a whore. My boobs have definitely grown out of this dress and I've grown at least three inches since high school." Complained Elizabeth.

Jane held up her hands to her sister as if to say 'Yea right, I'm not getting into this.'

"Come on Liz, you're not going to know anyone there. It'll be fun. And if you think you look like a whore now, just wait 'till we get to the club. Some of these L.A girls have very lenient rules on what can be called clothes" Charlotte grabbed her friends hand and lead her out of the room and towards the front door.

Soon, the three girls were in the elevator. Charlotte was jumping up and down with excitement. Even Jane's subtle smile told Elizabeth that her sister was looking forward to their evening out.

Elizabeth grinned at the sight. She didn't want to ruin their evening by complaining about her dress. She would forget about the dress and just have a good time.


	3. Dude With a 'Tude

**A/N: **Enter Will Darcy. Yup, he's finally here...

Have fun reading. Don't go too crazy. Leave a review. Thanks a bunch.

**Ch. 3**

Their cab pulled up to a night club with a big neon sign, music that could be heard from a mile away, and a line that stretched the entire block. Charlotte paid the cabbie and the three girls stepped out onto the curb. Liz and Jane were making their way towards the long line, but Charlotte stopped them.

"Guys, we don't have to wait in line. Follow me." Charlotte waved her hand towards the unfriendly-looking bouncer.

"Hey, Mitch. How's the fam? Is the wife treating you well?" Charlotte inquired. The man she was talking to⎯Mitch, apparently⎯was a muscular looking man with a buzz cut and too-tight t-shirt. His frown grew into a smile when Charlotte started talking to him.

"Ahhh, Charlotte Lucas, good to see you. Are these two ladies with you tonight?" Mitch asked.

"Yea, these are my old friends from high school who just moved to L.A. Mitch, this is Liz and Jane." Charlotte turned towards Liz and Jane to address them, "Liz, Jane, this is Mitch the bouncer. He's awesome!"

Liz and Jane smiled at the bouncer and waved to signal their hello.

"Well, any friend of Charlotte's is a friend of mine. Have a good time ladies" Mitch said as he opened the rope to let the girls in.

"Thanks, Mitch." Charlotte replied as she pulled her friends passed the bouncer and into the club.

"Wow, Char. Come here often? 'Cause you're on a first-name basis with the bouncer" Liz joked.

"Actually, yes. I conduct a lot of my business here. Welcome to _Cloud 9, _The hottest club in L.A and the playground for all the Hollywood types. I've interviewed many slightly tipsy celebrities here."

"The club is called _Cloud 9_? That's kinda tacky, don't you think?" Elizabeth questioned while scanning the room.

"Yea, just ignore the name. It's a really nice place." Was Charlotte's answer.

Elizabeth looked over to Jane who was sporting a huge smile and eyeing up a guy across the room who was staring at Jane with an equally cheesy smile.

"I'll see you guys later." Jane said without taking her eyes off the mysterious man.

"Bye, Janie. We'll be at the bar getting some drinks." Her sister responded.

Jane and the other two parted ways. Both Charlotte and Liz walked up to the bar. Charlotte urged Liz to order the signature drink, the _Cloud Cocktail. _

Drinks in hand, Charlotte and Liz leaned against the bar, scanning the crowd. Charlotte's eyes suddenly stopped on a tall man who had at least a dozen girls fawning over him.

"Holy _cow_." Char said.

"What? What's wrong, Char?" Elizabeth asked, concerned.

"It's Will Darcy. Iv'e been wanting to get on his good side so that I could get an interview. He _never_ gives any."

At _L.A Mag_, Charlotte was the lead celebrity blogger. She had done tons of celebrity interviews, but never one for Will Darcy.

"Well then let's go over there so you can charm the pants off that man for an interview." said Elizabeth.

Charlotte walked over to Will Darcy with Liz following closely behind. She wasn't too fond on celebrities. It's not that they intimidated her, it was just that they flaunted their wealth in front of all the lesser folk.

"Hello, Will. I'm not sure if you remember me, but I'm Charlotte Lucas with _L.A Mag. _We talked a while ago about a possible interview." Came Charlotte's confident voice.

"No. I'm not interested. I believe I already told you." Will Darcy responded icily, his jaw clenched in anger.

Without another word, Will Darcy left Char. He walked right up to the man Jane was eyeing earlier. The two were intently holding a conversation. Charlotte and Liz followed him.

"Hey, Janie. Who's this?" Elizabeth asked, looking to a man with crazy red hair and a radiant smile.

"Oh Liz!" Jane was startled out of her conversation. "This is Charlie Bingley."

Noticing her surrounding for the first time since she started talking to Charlie, Jane looked up and saw Will.

"You must be Will Darcy." Jane smiled pleasantly. "Charlie was just telling me about his job."

The two shook hands, Will's a little tense, but Jane's warm and welcoming. Jane looked back to Liz and Charlotte and noticed their inquisitive glances. She then said, "Charlie was telling me about how he works for Will Darcy as his agent."

"And best friend since third grade." Charlie added jokingly, shaking Liz's hand, then Charlotte's. "Nice to meet you two."

"Pleasure to meet you as well. I'm Liz, Jane's sister, and this is our friend, Charlotte. Did you say your last name was Bingley? It sounds familiar."

Charlie laughed a little. "Yea. Caroline has been in the news quite a bit lately." He glanced up at Will who was now frowning even more, if that was possible.

"Let's not go into that, Charlie." Will's voice boomed.

The group fell silent as they all looked to Will. _What a 'tude this guys got _Liz thought.

Not knowing what to say, Liz took a big sip of her drink, but realized it was a mistake when a burning sensation filled her throat and stomach. "Holy shit!" Liz cried. "What is this? My throat is _burning_!"

Charlotte patted her back. "Oh, I'm sorry sweetie. I forgot that you aren't very good with alcohol."

Everyone started laughing, minus Will Darcy. "Haha. Yea, I never was a big drinker in high school. Here, Jane, you take my drink."

"No. Fucking. Way." Charlotte said as she looked off in the distance. "Is that Lindsay Lohan? She must be out of jail now. I gotta get a few words from her."

And with that, Charlotte was gone, having lost interest in Will Darcy. The group descended into yet another awkward silence.

After a few moments of the silence, Liz couldn't take it anymore. She spoke up, "Well, I'm gonna go dance. Anyone want to come with?" Realizing that Jane and Charlie probably wanted to be left alone, she extended the invitation. "Will? Up for dancing?"

"I don't dance." Will responded curtly.

Well, Elizabeth wasn't expecting that. Who would come to a night club and refuse to dance? Will Darcy, that's who.

She didn't know what to do so she just laughed. A big, hearty, genuine laugh. Then, she patted Will on the back and walked away, carrying her laughter with her.

Will though he could hear her say as she walked away "Who comes to a club and doesn't dance?" Will just frowned and stalked off.

_Jezze, what's wrong with him? He must think he's above _everyone_ else _Elizabeth thought. She played it cool on the outside as she returned to her spot at the bar, but inside she was fuming.

At that moment, she decided that she did not like him. Will Darcy was an arrogant bastard.

"A penny for your thoughts?" Charlotte asked, somewhat amused, somewhat concerned.

"I think I hate Will Darcy." Elizabeth complained.

"Yea, I could tell hon. He might be an _ah-mazing_ actor and a total hottie, but I think he has social anxiety." Charlotte sighed.

"Or maybe someone just needs to get that stick out of his ass. He looks so angry. Are you getting a hulk vibe from him, 'cause I am."

"Hah, I can see it. _Hulk Smash_!" Charlotte joked, pounding her fist on the bar. "Hey, I'm gonna need another drink over here. Like, pronto." She said after she turned to the bartender.

"So how was Lohan? Did you get to talk to her?" Elizabeth asked.

"Oh, no. It was a drag queen. Kinda bummed about that. He said a lot of people think he looks like Lindsay Lohan. He has some very feminine features about him."

The bartender brought over a drink and Charlotte immediately handed it to Liz. "Here, baby girl. Drink up. This one is less alcoholic."

Liz gratefully accepted the drink and downed it rather quickly.

"Woah there. You thirsty?" Charlotte laughed and motioned to the bartender for another one.

With another drink in both of them, Liz momentarily forget about Will Darcy. That is, until she spotted him sitting in the corner staring at her.

"Hey, Char" Liz whispered as if Will could hear her from across the room with music blaring, "I think Will is staring at me. It's creeping me out."

"I think you're seeing things. Maybe you've had too much to drink. I think It's time to leave." Charlotte responded.

Liz returned her gaze to Will Darcy. She didn't care what Charlotte thought, she knew he was staring at her. As soon as Will noticed her returned gaze, he quickly looked away and got up from the table he was sitting at. She couldn't tell where he went because he got lost in the sea of people dancing.

Charlotte grabbed her hand and led Elizabeth towards the door. But before they exited, the two remembered that they had left Jane with Charlie.

"Shit. I'll be right back. Janie is still in there."

Charlotte left Elizabeth by the door, who then crouched down in a corner where a plant shielded her from view. Liz had only had about three drinks, but boy did they get to her. If she sat down for a couple of minutes, maybe she could make the room stop spinning.

Just then, she heard two male voices approaching. They stopped just before her and the plant.

"She is stunning, Will. I think she could be the _One_." Came a familiar voice. Elizabeth realized that the voice was Charlie and he was talking to Will.

"Charlie, you say this every week. Jane is no different than what's-her-face from the other day." Will countered.

"No, she's different. I really like her. And her sister was quite pretty too."

"Humph." Will scoffed. "Not really. She's not pretty at all. And her dress was two sizes too small. I'm tired of you trying to set me up with girls just seeking the fame that comes with dating me, and she was clearly one of them."

_Oh no he didn't! _Elizabeth thought. She would have gotten up and smacked him in the face, but that would take energy. Energy that Liz didn't have in her.

Charlie and Will whispered some words back and forth, but Liz couldn't hear what they were saying. She didn't want to hear what Will had to say anymore anyway.

Shortly after, the men left and Liz could hear the paparazzi outside yelling 'Will! Look over here!' and 'Will could I get a few words?!'

Ugh! What was the big deal with Will Darcy. Sure, he was super famous, but his personality was equivalent to that of a stick.

Liz didn't spend much more time dwelling on the dull personality of Will much longer because Charlotte came back in the room with Jane in tow.

Jane found Liz behind the plant and helped her up. Jane always took care of her when something like this happened to her.

The rest of the night was a blur. Elizabeth remembered stumbling back into their apartment. With Jane's help, she was able to get her PJ's on and slip into bed.

In the warmth and safety of her sheets, Elizabeth dreamed sweet dreams of Will Darcy getting swept up by a tornado.


	4. Hangovers and Memories

**A/N:** Hey. Sorry that it's been over a week since I last updated. School is my worst enemy right now. But now I have my totino's pizza rolls, my dog, and my noggin so I'm ready to write. Thanks to the people that reviewed, especially Thegirlwiththepappillon57, I really appreciated your review. Thanks so much!

P.S, the title of this chapter is also the title of a country song. Don't listen to it (it's actually really bad). So that's all I have to say about that. Happy reading!

**Ch. 4**

The next day following their outing had started off quite uneventful. Liz woke up around noon with a splitting headache. She hated hangovers.

Slowly, she got out of bed, hair disheveled and mascara amuck. Elizabeth didn't even want to look at herself in the mirror right now.

When Liz stumbled into the kitchen, Jane was already there, freshly showered and neatly dressed. The exact opposite of Liz. Sometimes she wondered if they were even related.

Jane was happy to take care of her, as usual. She greeted her sister with two Aspirins, a glass of water, and a bright smile.

Liz groaned at the sight of her sister, but gratefully took the pills and water. "Why are you so happy?"

"I was just thinking about last night. Charlie is such a nice person, don't you think? I gave him my number. He said he would call today, but maybe he's too busy." Jane rambled on. She often did when she was nervous.

Charlie's name brought back memories of last night, particularly of what Will Darcy said. She may have been drunk, but she distinctly remembered his cruel words.

Elizabeth was just about to tell Jane what she overheard from her spot behind that plant last night when a loud knock came from the door.

Jane swung opened the door to reveal Charlotte, who matched Elizabeth's equally horrid looks.

Charlotte wore a huge pair of sunglasses and had a 32-oz bottle of water in her hand.

She opened up her arms to Jane and said, "Janie, take care of me!"

"Awwww." Jane responded, stifling a giggle. "You can go sit with Liz on the couch. I'll get you some Aspirin."

Charlotte muttered something that sounded like 'Thanks' and slowly walked over to the couch and plopped herself down next to Elizabeth.

"You look like crap, Char." Elizabeth greeted her friend.

"Look whose talking, raccoon eyes." Charlotte shot back, taking off her sunglasses.

Hangovers brought out the worst in the two. They both had a couple of memories in high school of them waking up after drinking a little too much the previous night.

Jane came back from the kitchen with the bottle of Aspirin, took out two for Char, handed them to her, and placed the rest of the bottle on the coffee table. From experience, Jane knew that they would need more as the day went on.

While Charlotte was busing herself with the pills, Jane sat herself down on a chair across from the other two girls. _This would be a long day filled with a lot of bickering_, Jane thought.

She cracked open a magazine she had purchased a couple days before and started reading. Before she got very far into an article about the most eco-friendly cleaning products, her cell phone rang.

Charlotte and Liz groaned loudly, covering their ears to try to make the sound less irritating.

Jane quickly picked up her phone and answered it. "Hello?" she said into the phone.

"_Jane? It's Charlie Bingley, from last night." _

"Oh, Charlie! I'm so glad you called. It's nice to hear from you" was Jane's sunny response. She glanced over to the two people sitting on the couch, clearly bothered by the noise. She decided to go into another room to talk to him.

Charlotte and Liz sat in silence after Jane left the room. Neither had the energy to even utter another word. They quickly fell asleep on the couch.

About an hour later, the girls were woken up by Jane coming back in the room and returning to her spot on the chair.

"That took a long time." Charlotte said, noticing Jane's huge grin, "I guess that's a good thing."

"Yes!" Jane squealed. "We're going to grab some coffee tomorrow. I can't wait!"

"Ugh!" Was Elizabeth's reaction.

"What, Liz? Do you not think Charlie is right for me?" Jane asked, a little worried that her sister would disapprove of him.

"No. It's not that. It's Will Darcy. I heard him say something about me when he and Charlie were leaving the club last night."

Jane became less tense, knowing that it wasn't Charlie that Liz disapproved of. "What did he say?" Jane asked with concern.

"He said I was ugly, basically." Liz said coldly, rubbing her temples from the feeling of an oncoming headache.

"Well maybe you heard wrong." Jane refused to see the bad in anyone. "Maybe he was talking about someone else."

Charlotte gave Elizabeth a sympathetic look and said, "I'm sure you're just overreacting. It couldn't have been that bad."

"You're right. His exact words were 'She's not pretty at all. And her dress was two sizes too small I'm tired of you trying to set me up with girls just seeking the fame that comes with dating me, and she was clearly one of them.'" Liz said, attempting to imitate Will Darcy's deep voice.

"Harsh. Sorry, Liz." Charlotte patted her friends back.

Jane said the same sentiments and sat on the other side of her sister.

"Guys, please. I don't need your sympathy. It's not like I care what he has to say about me. I'm totally over it now." Liz said.

She didn't want to admit it to them, but she kind of _was _hurt by what Will Darcy had said. She knew she wasn't nearly as pretty as her sister, Jane. Liz was short while Jane was tall and slender. Liz had unruly hair while Jane's hair looked perfect even when she woke up. Liz knew she wasn't gorgeous, but she wouldn't go so far as to say she was _ugly_. Hearing someone say that about took a huge hit to her confidence.

It usually wasn't like her to care what others thought of her, but this time was different.

"I feel kinda bad though." Charlotte admitted. "I was the one that made you wear the slutty dress. I shouldn't have forced you to wear it."

"It's not your fault, Char. Seriously, I'm fine. Will Darcy is just a stuck up celebrity."

All three girls agreed to drop the subject after that. They spent the rest of the day watching their favorite Disney movies, just like old times.

They shared laughs, ate popcorn, and made a promise to never utter the words 'Will Darcy' ever again.

* * *

Jane came home from her date the next day all lovey-dovey.

"I take it the coffee date went well." Elizabeth observed.

"Better than well. It was _perfect. _Is it possible to be in love this soon after meeting someone?" Jane asked. She then put her hands on her heart and spun around the room. It was really cheesy.

Elizabeth wanted to gag seeing her sister dance around the room. But anything that could make her sister that happy made Liz happy, too. "I guess it is. You seem to be really happy after you've spent time with him." Elizabeth smiled.

"I am. He just makes me so happy. No, more than happy, I'm euphoric!" Jane trilled. She grabbed Elizabeth's hands and spun her around the room with her.

After they both started to get very dizzy from spinning so much, Elizabeth said, "Okay, Janie. I'm so glad that you're in love but it's time for dinner."

Jane and Elizabeth went into the kitchen to grab plates and silverware to set the table. Elizabeth had made a salad, one of the few things she could make, and Jane grabbed the leftover baked ziti from the previous night.

Once the table was set, the sisters sat down to eat.

"So, I already know that the date went very well, but what made it so great? What did you guys talk about?" Elizabeth questioned.

"We talked about everything. I told him about my family. Mom, Dad, Mary, Cate, Lydia, and you of course. I told him you were a journalist. Let's see...we talked about his family. Oh, you know how you said his last name was familiar? His sister, Caroline Bingley, dated Will Darcy and it was in that magazine we stole from the front desk not too long ago."

"Well that promise was short-lived." Elizabeth said, grabbing a fork-full of baked ziti. She was referring to their promise to never mention _his _name again.

"Sorry, Liz. I forgot." Jane apologized, giving her sister a sympathetic look.

Elizabeth shrugged. "It's cool. I figured it would slip sooner or later."

Changing the subject to avoid an awkward silence, Jane said, "So what did you do at work today?"

"Not much...today was the deadline for my article on that new restaurant that opened up downtown. I think it's one of my best."

"That's good. You're an amazing writer. I'm sure it will be the highlight of the magazine." Jane smiled at Liz.

"Thanks Janie."

Their conversation was interrupted by a cell phone ringing. Jane ran over to her purse by the door and looked at the caller ID.

"It's Charlie." Jane said, looking to Elizabeth for permission to answer it.

"Go ahead." Elizabeth responded as she waved her sister on.

"Thanks." She mouthed as she answered the phone. "Hello? Charlie?"

Elizabeth couldn't hear what Charlie was saying, so she just listened to her sister.

"Yea..._Really_?...Well, that's unexpected...okay, I'll ask her...can I call you back in a few?" Were Jane's responses.

When they said their goodbyes and hung up, Jane looked to Elizabeth with an expression of slight confusion.

"What's wrong?" Elizabeth asked.

"You know how I was just telling you that I told Charlie you were a journalist?"

"Yeaaaa." Elizabeth drew out the response.

"Well Charlie has been looking for someone to write an article about Will to gain some publicity for him and his upcoming film. He told Will and they looked up some of your old articles from the paper you used to work for. They want you to write the article. He said Will really likes your writing."

Elizabeth scoffed. "Yea right. I'm not doing anything for Will Darcy. Besides, I write about food, people are way different." She crossed her arms across her chest defensively.

"Liz, this is a great opportunity. Will Darcy never gives interviews."

"Because he's probably too stubborn."

"And so are you. If you aren't going to do this for Will Darcy, then do it for Charlie...and me. _Please_!"

"I don't know, Janie. Charlotte has been wanting an interview from him for a really long time. I would feel bad if I just took and interview from her. Besides, she knows how to talk to celebrities. I don't. I know how to talk to food." Elizabeth reasoned.

"How about you talk to Charlotte about this tomorrow at work. If she's okay with it, then will you do the interview?" Jane asked hopefully.

"Okay, for you and Charlie, I will. But only if Charlotte is okay with it." Elizabeth unfolded her arms finally.

Jane squealed. "Yay! Alright, so first thing tomorrow morning you ask Char and then call me. I'm going to go call Charlie back and tell him the plan."

Jane went back into the kitchen and left Elizabeth alone with her thoughts. Why did she agree to such a thing? Elizabeth really hoped that Charlotte wouldn't want to do the interview.


	5. Welcome to Netherfield

**A/N: **I was going to do homework but I thought nahhh. Enjoy your reading while my grades suffer.

**Ch. 5**

To Elizabeth's dismay, Charlotte had no problem with the potential interview.

Elizabeth had walked into her office first thing in the morning. Charlotte was already busy typing away on her blog. She looked up and saw Elizabeth uncomfortably standing in the doorway.

"Come on in, Liz. What's up?" Charlotte asked.

"Nothing much. I have something to ask you."

"Shoot."

"So Jane told Charlie I was a journalist and now Charlie wants me to do an interview on Will for his upcoming film." Elizabeth left out the part about Will liking her writing because she didn't believe that herself. "I know you've wanted to interview him for a really long time so I told them that I would ask you first. I understand if you don't want me to do it." Elizabeth spat out quickly. The sooner she said it, the sooner it would be over with.

"Are you kidding?" Charlotte stood up with an amazed look. "That's so great! Of course you can, why would you need to ask for my permission?"

Charlotte walked up to Liz from behind her desk and gave her a big hug.

"Well, I just thought you would be a little mad. Plus, I was kinda looking for an out. I don't really want to do this."

"You have to! This is amazing opportunity! It can jump-start your career."

"But I don't write about famous people, you do."

"Oh come on, people are just like food!" Charlotte joked. "Besides, you have to be a versatile writer. Go for it!"

Elizabeth didn't know what to say. As much as she didn't want to write an article on Will Darcy of all people, she felt like she had to. Everyone was encouraging her to, and Char was right. This would be an amazing opportunity for her career. Will Darcy interviews were so rare.

"Alright." She finally said after a long pause. "I'm going to go call Jane and tell her to tell Charlie."

Elizabeth turned out into the hallway and Charlotte peeked out the door and watched her walking away. "That's my girl!" Charlotte yelled loudly and waved to Elizabeth, causing many people in the cubicles to turn and look at the two.

Liz blushed at everyone looking at her. She was giggling as she sat down at her cubicle.

Elizabeth knew that she had to call Jane and tell her that she would do the interview. She dialed the number and waited for her sister to pick up.

"_Hello?_" A voice on the other end came.

"Charlie? Is that you?"

"_Yea, It's me. I'm with Jane right now. Turns out that she's part of the set designing team for the new movie Will's doing so we decided to grab a bite to eat. Did you need her?"_

"I called to tell her that I would do the interview, but I guess I can tell you too." Elizabeth chuckled and she heard Charlie laugh too.

_"That's great! I'm so glad you can. We googled you to find some of your old articles. They were really good. Will was pretty impressed."_

There it was again. Will was impressed. Charlie was probably just saying that to flatter her.

"I'm sure he did." Elizabeth said, not even bothering to hide her sarcasm.

_"No, really. I think he stayed up all night reading stuff that you wrote. He said he found a short story by you that he really liked."_

Elizabeth covered her face with her available hand in embarrassment. "Oh God. I wrote that in high school for a creative writing competition. I didn't think they put it online. That's so embarrassing!"

_"I thought it was fantastic." _Charlie reassured her. _"Will made me read it."_

In the background, Liz could hear Jane's voice asking if Charlie was talking to her_._

"_Liz, your sister wants to talk to you now. I'll see you soon."_

"Okay, Charlie. It was nice talking to you." Elizabeth answered.

There was a brief pause. Liz guessed that Charlie was handing the phone over to Jane.

_"So you decided to do it? Char is cool with it?" _Came Jane's voice.

Elizabeth sighed. "Yea, I am." She changed the subject to something that was on her mind since Charlie answered Jane's phone, "So...Charlie, huh? You too saw each other on set? It must be fate."

Jane giggled like a little girl. _"I hope so. We'll talk about this another time though. I'm kinda busy right now."_

"I understand. I won't keep you any longer. Have fun."

_"Thanks, bye." _Jane said and quickly hung up the phone, not even waiting for a response.

_She must really like him, maybe even love _Liz though. It made her smile.

Now that she got that over with, she returned to her work for the day, which turned out to be quite uneventful.

* * *

Will was up all night trying to get _her _out of his head. It didn't help that he stayed up until two in the morning reading old articles he found online written by Elizabeth Bennet. She sure did have a way with words.

But it wasn't just words that drew him to her, it was her entire being. Something about her was just different. Different than Caroline Bingley, different than any other girl he had ever dated.

She definitely wasn't the most gorgeous woman on the planet. Her sister seemed to be the real beauty. Even though Will tried, Elizabeth just couldn't be put into words. He felt attracted to her in a way that he never felt before.

Maybe it had to do with her eyes. Were they green? Or blue? He couldn't really see in the darkness of the club, but there was a sparkle to them when she talked. At the club it was almost embarrassing how many times he was caught staring at her.

Will sighed. _I couldn't possibly chase after Elizabeth Bennet. I have a reputation. _Will thought. Hopefully the interview would go quickly and he would be able the get that wonderful, yet unsuitable woman out of my mind.

* * *

The rest of the week passed and not a day went by that Elizabeth didn't worry about the interview.

Saturday morning came, and the weather matched her mood. Clouds were rolling in and the sky was dark. Liz rolled out of bed at nine-o'clock, dreading the day.

She walked out of her room in a sleepy state to find Jane curled up on the couch with a bowl of oatmeal. The tv was turned on to the Weather Channel and Jane was studying the forecast.

Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Elizabeth grabbed the remote and pressed the 'mute' button. "I can't stand this channel. It's elevator music on a loop."

"I was curious about the weather. They're saying that there is going to be a storm tonight and probably a lot of flooding. I wonder if we should go today." Jane pondered.

"Nah, let's just get this over with. The sooner I get it done, the sooner I can get Will Darcy out of my mind." Liz grumbled.

Jane had made plans with Charlie earlier in the week for Elizabeth and Jane to drive up to Charlie's house. That way Jane would get to spend some time with Charlie while Liz interviewed Will for the article.

"Alright, Well I want to leave before the weather gets too bad so get a move on and we can leave in an hour." Jane said, returning her empty oatmeal bowl to the sink.

"Aye Aye, Cap'n!" Elizabeth joked and she saluted her sister. The corners of her mouth turned up and Liz found that it was a struggle not to laugh.

In the hour that followed, Elizabeth ate breakfast, had a cup of coffee (or two), took a shower, and got dressed.

The getting dressed part was the hardest for Liz. It wasn't that she wanted to impress him, she just didn't want a repeat of the club. _'I wouldn't want to hurt your delicate sensibilities, Mr. Darcy' _Elizabeth thought as she laid out some more modest clothes.

This time around, she wore a pair of khaki pants that she had to roll up a few times to accommodate her petite frame, a white blouse, and a navy blazer to top it off. Liz wanted to look professional. She was on the job, after all.

At 10:01, Elizabeth emerged from her room, only to find a distressed Jane.

"Come on, Liz!" Jane said, wringing her hands. "The clouds are getting darker and darker and I'm afraid we'll get caught in a storm."

"Jane, It's going to be fine. It will probably rain for five minutes and then stop." Elizabeth reasoned. The weather in early March was like that sometimes.

"Just to be safe, I want to leave now." Jane said firmly.

Without another word, Jane grabbed Liz's arm and they were off. As they walked to their parked car on the street, Elizabeth felt a raindrop hit the back of her neck. Not wanting to worry Jane, she said nothing.

The navigation system in their Honda Accord said that their drive would take about an hour. 15 minutes into their ride, it started pouring and Jane panicked. She hated driving in the rain.

Elizabeth offered to switch places but Jane refused because she didn't want to slow down. It seemed that nothing would stop her from seeing Charlie.

The two sisters made it there in one piece, despite Jane's erratic driving.

As they pulled up the driveway, they could see the large, regal house growing larger and larger. Jane gasped at the sight and whispered something to herself that sounded like 'I think I'm in heaven.'

The rain still hadn't let up so they parked the car near the door and made a run for it. Elizabeth, being on the passenger side, reached the door with minimal rain hitting her, but Jane was soaked by the time she reached the door.

Without even knocking or ringing the doorbell, the door swung open and Charlie's broad smile greeted them. "Welcome to Netherfield!"

In the background, Will emerged, covering his face with his hands, slightly embarrassed by his friend. "He named his house. He's rather proud of it." He finished with his mouth turned slightly upward. Elizabeth took that for his version of a smile.

Taking in Jane's shivering body, Charlie ushered them in and hugged her body close to him. "Damn this weather. It's so unlike L.A. Let me get you a blanket, Janie."

Charlie then ran off to find Jane a warm blanket and left the others in silence. Will put his hands in his pockets and looked down at the floor, and Elizabeth hugged Jane to try to warm her up.

Just as Charlie returned to Jane and wrapped a blanket around her, a figure appeared at the top of the steps.

"Oh, Caroline. Come here and meet Jane and Elizabeth. These are the girls I've been talking about." Charlie said and waved his hand, inviting her to join them.

Caroline descended the steps slowly, her hand on the banister and her hips swinging back and forth. She was tall and had a slim figure, almost too slim. Her hair was flaming red, just like her brothers. However, unlike Charlie, there was no feeling of warmth when you looked at her.

She reached the bottom of the steps after what seemed like an eternity. The rest of the group was waiting rather impatiently for her to make her way down the steps.

Finally, after looking Jane and Elizabeth up and down, Caroline spoke. "So nice to finally meet you Jane, Elizabeth. Charlie has told me so much about you two." She forced a fake smile and shook both of their hands with her fake nails and cold grip. It reminded Elizabeth of a predatory bird.

Before either of them could respond, Caroline had turned to Will. "Willy, my dear. It's so tragic. I was supposed to have an outdoor shoot today but this dreaded rain is keeping me in. I guess you'll just have to keep me company." She fake pouted and grabbed on to his arm.

Will looked up from the floor slightly to acknowledge her presence, but didn't do more that that.

"Oh, that's right, you're a model. What is it that you model, again? Was it hats? No, gloves, maybe?" Elizabeth asked with mock sincerity.

Caroline's mouth dropped open and Will coughed to hide his smile. Even Charlie laughed, but Jane looked to Elizabeth with a mortified look.

Elizabeth returned the stare with an innocent smile and a shrug.

"Close your mouth, Caroline. You're catching flies." Charlie said, still in a fit of laughter.

Still in shock, Caroline opened her mouth to speak. "I have never been talked to that way! How rude!" She finally said and stomped out of the room.

Shrugging off Caroline's dramatic exit, Charlie led the group into the living room.

"I made some hot cocoa for us all, let me go get it." Charlie said.

"I'll help you, Charlie." Jane said quickly, putting the blanket down and following Charlie out of the room, leaving Will and Elizabeth alone.

Will took a seat on the sofa and Elizabeth, not really wanting to be near him, sat in one of the comfy chairs across from the sofa.

He looked at her for a second then said, "So..."

Will's mid was reeling. He didn't know what to say and he was a little nervous. _Green. Her eyes are definitely green _Will thought. _The prettiest shade of green I have ever seen._

Not knowing how to respond, she repeated the "So..."

Luckily, before the atmosphere could get anymore awkward, Jane and Charlie returned, mugs of hot chocolate in hand. Jane handed one to Elizabeth and Charlie handed one to Will. Then, they took a seat next to each other on the sofa.

Once they were all settled with their hot beverages, Jane spoke up, "Charlie, you have a lovely home."

"Thanks. I just bought it. Usually when Will does a film in L.A, we rent an apartment downtown, but I've been wanting to get a house here for a while. When I saw this house on the market, I thought 'It's now or never!'" Charlie explained.

"Why don't you live here full-time?" Liz asked.

It was Will who answered her question, "I have a home in New York that has been in our family for generations, so I live there when I'm not filming. Charlie's kind enough to let me live with him for now."

Charlie added, "He prefers the peace and quite of his home in upstate New York. He spends as much time there as possible, so It's not really worth it for him to buy a house here too."

"That's good. At least you're smart with your money, unlike a lot of other celebrities." Jane joked.

Just then, Caroline strode into the living room, squishing herself next to Will on a couch that was clearly only made for three. In her effort to be closer to Will, Caroline caused him to spill some of his hot chocolate on his clean, white shirt.

"_Sowry_." Caroline pouted. "I just want to be near you all the time, Willie." She finished as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek.

"Caroline, please stop." Will said curtly, seemingly put-off by Caroline's advances.

Elizabeth tried to itch her nose to cover her growing smile, but to no avail. Her giggles caught the attention of Caroline. Caroline was seething. If looks could kill, Elizabeth was sure that she would have been dead by now.

Will took this opportunity to untangle himself from Caroline and get up from the sofa. He quickly excused himself from the company to go change his shirt.

By the time that the laughter died down, Will emerged, leaning on the door-frame wearing an old tee with _The Beatles _on it.

"So can we get this interview over with?" Will asked, a little bit annoyed.

Over with? Even though Elizabeth had said something similar earlier, she wouldn't dare say it to his face. But since he brought it up, maybe now she would.

"Let's." She said, trying to sound pleasant. "The sooner we start, the sooner you can go back to moping around."

Liz got up from her chair, placed the empty cup on the side table, and looked to Will to see his astonished face. She was pleased with herself that she could get that kind of a reaction out of him.

"I'm not _moping_." Will shot back.

"I beg to differ."

"Alright." Charlie interrupted before their argument got out of hand, "How about you two go into the study for the interview. It's quiet in there. We will be out here if you need us."

With that, Charlie gave Will a behave-or-else-I'll-murder-you-in-your-sleep look and returned to a conversation with Jane.

_This has not gone as planned so far. I was hoping for this to be a quick visit, thirty minutes tops. It's been fifteen and now Caroline has ruined one of my shirts._ But knowing that if he made another comment he would be in trouble with Charlie later, Will lead Liz to the study silently.


	6. Here Comes the Storm

**A/N:** I got a bunch of reviews last night so I decided to post again. This chapter isn't that long though. Sorry. But I appreciate all the reviews. It makes me happy when I get them:) Keep 'em coming.

**Ch. 6**

The study at Netherfield had an Old World charm to it. It smelled like old books and worn leather. Elizabeth liked the smell, no matter how weird that was. It was a comfy and inviting smell to her.

"Wow." She whispered, scanning the room.

Will cleared his throat to get Elizabeth's attention, but she was too busy peering at the selection of books to hear.

He cleared his throat once again, then said "Elizabeth. Are we going to get started?"

At hearing her name, Elizabeth snapped out of the spell that the books put on her. "Sorry. I really like reading." She said, letting out a small laugh.

"Right, well, um...let's sit." Will responded as he sat down in a leather chair.

Elizabeth plopped herself down in an identical chair right across from Will without a word. '_Maybe he is socially awkward like Charlotte said' _Elizabeth thought.

She pulled out a recorder from her bag and her notepad with questions on it. Elizabeth hadn't written down many questions. She didn't know a lot about Will Darcy, and when she googled him, neither did the internet.

"Ready?" Liz asked.

"Ready as I'll ever be." Will responded, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

Liz pushed a button on the recorder and the light changed from red to green.

"Alrighty, Will Darcy. Tell me a little about yourself."

"There's not much to tell."

Elizabeth frowned. "Okay, moving on. Tell me about your new movie you're filming."

"_The Adventures of Sean Riley _is a romantic comedy about an awkward man who is hopelessly in love with this girl. The girl is supposed to go to visit her sick father in San Francisco, but when her plane is canceled because of snow, Sean offers to drive her through the storm. The journey there tells the story of how she eventually falls in love with him too."

"You play Sean Riley, correct?" Elizabeth asked, just to clarify.

"Yes." He responded curtly.

"Just checking. Okay, so tell me about you and Caroline Bingley. Together or not?"

"I'm not talking about that." Will said angrily as he crossed his arms.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. She spoke into the recorder, "Note: Darcy's love life is a touchy subject."

"It's not a touchy subject!" Will protested, his voice rising. "We're not together. We never were. Caroline is just so clingy. We were walking out of a club one night and when the paparazzi attacked us, Caroline hung onto my arm. The next day, we made the front page of the tabloids claiming that we were together and everyone believed it!"

"Hmmmm...okay." She responded skeptically.

Will frowned. "Can we talk about less personal things?"

"Sure. What's your favorite color?" Elizabeth asked sarcastically. No wonder there was barely anything on the internet about Will Darcy, he never wanted to talk!

"Blue." Was his one word answer.

"Favorite movie?" Liz asked. Maybe she could make the article a Q and A. _Getting to Know Will Darcy _she could call it.

"I liked _Avatar." _

Elizabeth snorted. "Please, That movie has practically the same story line as _Pocahontas."_

"Excuse me?" Will asked, astonished for the second time that night.

"It's the same story line. They travel to a strange land, try to make the current inhabitants leave so that they can use their resources." Elizabeth explained.

Will pondered this for a moment before mumbling, "It's still a good movie."

"Next question: favorite band?"

"_The Beatles_, no contest." Will pointed to his shirt.

"Darn." Elizabeth mumbled under her breath.

"What? Do you not agree with my choice in music either?" Will frowned again.

"No, they're my favorite, too. I can't argue with you on that one." Elizabeth said.

"Oh." Will's frown turned into a slight smile.

"I'm a sucker for old timey boy bands" She confessed.

"What's your favorite song of theirs?" Will asked.

"_Here Comes the Sun_. It always puts me in a good mood, you?"

"Either _Eleanor Rigby _or _All You Need Is Love_." he responded.

Elizabeth snorted. "Those are two very different songs. I think _Eleanor Rigby _sounds more like you."

Will's frown returned. "Well you don't know me so I don't think you can really be the judge of that."

Both of them became silent. The only noise in the room came from the rain hitting the window. It was raining even harder than before and the wind was picking up. Liz started to worry about how they would get home.

She pushed the thought out of her mind. No matter how insufferable Will Darcy was, she had to get enough information to write an entire article.

The questions after that were simple. She asked him what his favorite food was, favorite sport, ...favorite anything Elizabeth could think of! Usually Will's answer was a one-word reply, if any. She tried biting her tongue when he said something she disagrees with.

By the time Elizabeth was all out of questions, the clock in the study read 4:45. They were in there for a really long time!

"I guess since we're done, we should join the others." Elizabeth suggested, grabbing her notepad and recorder.

Will nodded without saying anything.

They joined Jane and Charlie, who were still in the living room chatting. Caroline was nowhere to be found. She probably didn't want to be a third wheel.

"So how was the interview?" Jane asked cheerily.

Will mumbled something and Elizabeth said "Fine, but if we're going to make it back home we should probably go now, it's getting pretty bad out there and I think it's only going to get worse."

Charlie and Jane looked out the window simultaneously. They must not have noticed the weather while they were talking to each other.

After seeing the rain pouring down and branches swinging roughly in the wind, Charlie said, "No. You guys are not driving back home now. You can stay the night here. I would be happy to have you!" The last sentence addressed to both the girls, but particularly to Jane.

"Oh, Charlie. We don't want to impose. It won't be too bad." Jane said lightly.

"I insist."

"Jane's right. We can drive home. It might get better soon." Liz protested. She wanted to get out of this house.

"Nonsense. This" he pointed outside, "is not going to get any better."

As much as she didn't want to stay here, she knew Charlie was right. Neither of the Bennet girls were very good at driving in bad weather. "Okay, okay, you're right. But we're leaving the second the weather gets better. We don't want to impose."

"Stay as long as you like." Charlie replied with a smile. He was such a kind person. Elizabeth wondered why he was friends with Will Darcy to begin with.

Elizabeth sat herself down on the chair she previously occupied. She looked around the room. While they were talking, Will must have slipped out of the room.

The next few hours passed by slowly. Charlie and Jane were engrossed in another conversation, and Elizabeth played some apps she had on her phone until it lost power.

For dinner, Charlie found a frozen pizza and popped it onto the oven. Jane found some lettuce in the fridge and asked if she could make a salad. Elizabeth, wanting to make herself useful, helped set the table. A half-hour of small talk later, the oven beeped to signal that the pizza was done.

Caroline and Will were called to eat dinner, both with a little reluctance. Will had been locked up in his room for the past few hours and Caroline was in no mood to spend time with Elizabeth, who had insulted her earlier.

They ate dinner in silence for a while. Caroline glared at Elizabeth from across the table, but when Elizabeth refused to be intimidated, she turned her attentions to Will.

"Willie, how is Georgianna? I haven't seen her for a while and I hope to see her soon." Caroline gushed. Elizabeth just rolled her eyes.

There was a silence that filled the air. It seemed as if he was gathering the patience to respond to the insufferable woman. "_Georgie_ is fine. I was just Skyping with her upstairs. She's finishing college in the spring and she prefers New York to California, so you probably won't be seeing her anytime soon." Will finally said firmly.

"Oh." Caroline seemed a little put-off by his answer but soon shrugged it off. "I can't believe she is that old already. I remember when you and Charlie first came to Hollywood she was just starting college. She is a remarkable woman."

"I guess so." Will returned to staring at his pizza.

"And you've done such a good job raising her since your parent's accident."

This caused Jane and Elizabeth to turn to Caroline with inquisitive looks.

"Caroline, stop." Charlie reprimanded, giving her a cautious look.

Will pushed back his chair quickly, causing it to screech on the floor. "Excuse me." He uttered as he rushed out of the room.

When they heard Will's door shut upstairs, Charlie spoke to Caroline, "I've told you not to talk about that. You know how he gets."

"My bad." Was all Caroline had to say for herself.

With the tension between Charlie and Caroline, the rest of dinner passed even more silently. It was almost painful for Liz to sit quiet for so long. _What happened to his parents? _Liz thought.

After the table was cleared, it was late. Charlie got Jane and Liz situated in open rooms upstairs and Caroline begrudgingly gave the girls something to sleep in.

Elizabeth decided to call it a night shortly after she changed her clothes. But she wasn't tired at all, despite her best efforts to go to sleep.

She sat up in the bed and rubbed her face. Her thoughts went back to the study and all the books. Maybe she could find something to read down there.

Slowly, Liz pulled the covers off her body and crept out of bed.


	7. Catch Her In the Library

**A/N: **What's up! So most of the reviews I received last chapter guessed that she would see Will in the library...well you guys are wrong... Hah just kidding she does see him. It was pretty obvious, wasn't it?

Note: I have put a couple pop culture references in my story already and there's more to come. I tried writing about stuff that most people know like _The Beatles. _In this chapter I have a reference to both _Sense and Sensibility _(I'm assuming that if your reading Jane Austen fanfiction you know what that book is) and also _Catcher In The Rye_. If you don't know the plot line to that book you may be lost for like five seconds but don't worry. It's not super important to the story. If you haven't read _Catcher In The Rye _yet though and you're still in school I can almost guarantee you will by the time you graduate. I feel like it is a nationwide (and by nationwide I mean America, in case you didn't get that I am American) standard for almost every high school.

So yup, the was me going off on a tangent. Totally not offended if you didn't read that author note. S'cool. Anyway, I just wanted to say thank you so much for all the reviews. You strangers made my day:)

Happy Reading!

**Ch. 7**

Liz snuck into the study, closing the door quietly behind her.

Once inside, she turned on a small lamp that was on the table next to the chair she had sat in earlier.

In the dim light, she made her way to the bookshelf stacked with hundreds of books. Almost immediately, she spotted on of her favorites, _Sense and Sensibility. _

She eagerly grabbed the book and returned to the big leather chair.

Not far into the book, Elizabeth heard the door crack open a bit. Startled, she flicked her head towards the door to see who it was. Liz was a little surprised to see that it was Will, dressed only in his boxers and a t-shirt.

Will noticed her curled up in one of the chairs, looking so tiny and vulnerable. "Sorry, I...uhmm...didn't know anyone else would be down here. I'm...just gonna go back upstairs." He said as he scratched the back of his neck and pointed towards the door.

"No. You can stay." Elizabeth answered, but she soon realized that Will would think she wanted him to stay...which she didn't. "I mean, if you want. You're the one that lives here." She added nonchalantly with a wave of her hand.

Will cleared his throat and walked towards the large desk in the center of room. He scooped up the book on the corner of the desk and sat opposite Elizabeth, just like a couple of hours ago during the interview.

"You couldn't sleep either?" He asked.

"No. I know some people think that the sound of rain is soothing to sleep to, but it just makes me toss and turn."

"Same."

"What book do you have?" Elizabeth questioned. Her eyes had not left him since he entered the room.

"_Catcher In The Rye_. It's my favorite." Will said in response.

Elizabeth snorted and Will gave her a bothered look. "Sorry. It's just that your favorite book is kinda ironic, considering your career."

"Do you disapprove of yet another thing about me?" Will said. Elizabeth couldn't tell if he was being serious or playful. Maybe a little of both?

"Oh no, don't get me wrong, _Catcher In The Rye _is a great book, especially if you're into that whole teenage angst thing." Elizabeth paused and thought of how to phrase her next question. "But..."

"Do you think that I'm a 'phony?'" Will guessed where she was going with the question. He leaned forward in his chair.

She stared at him for a moment, those soft blue eyes staring back at her. It gave her chills. Liz didn't know what to say, so she just shrugged.

Will pat the book with his hand. "I read this book during my freshman year in high school. There was something about Holden I could relate to. I felt like there were so many 'phonies' in the world, and I wanted to be different. I always had a passion for acting, and I came here to do what I love. I love the acting, not the fame."

After the speech Will just gave, Liz had to admit that she gained a new level of respect for him. She could almost overlook the comment he made. He was passionate about what he did, which is probably why he never wanted any attention and always appeared cold and distant.

"Honestly, you seem like one of the only genuine people in Hollywood." She said truthfully.

Elizabeth gave him a soft smile. To her surprise he smiled back. It was more like a grin, wide and full of teeth. Elizabeth liked this side of him.

"So tell me more about this other side of Will Darcy."

"Well, he prefers to stay out of the press, as you already know. What most people don't know about me is that my first role was a dancing tree in my first grade play." He joked, his smile growing.

Liz giggled in response. "Everyone has to start somewhere."

"I think that the teacher just wanted me out of the way. I was quite the handful as a child. In elementary school, my parents would always have to have meetings with my teachers because I never listened."

"Hah, your parents must have loved that."

The smile was wiped off Will's face and replaced with a more serious look. "Yea, they did."

_Uh oh _Liz thought. She had completely forgotten about what happened during dinner, It seemed like his parents death was still a touchy subject for him.

Although she was a journalist and it was her job to be curious and ask questions, Liz didn't want to pry into a subject that clearly upset him.

She was racking her brain to try to think of something comforting to say in a situation like this. When she opened her mouth to speak, Will got up and said, "I think I'm gonna go back to bed. I'm starting to get tired."

Liz was still at a loss for words when the door shut behind Will. She was still amazed how their conversation had gone from lighthearted to seriously depressing in a matter of seconds. It seemed like most of their conversations had turned in that direction.

Staring at the words on the open page, Elizabeth tried to read, but her distraction was too much for her. Carefully, she put the book back from where she got, turned off the lamp, and padded back up the stairs to her room.

The storm had lightened considerably. There was only the faint sound of rain tapping on the windows when Liz finally fell asleep.

* * *

The girls woke up early the next morning. As much as Elizabeth could sense that her sister didn't want to leave just yet, they had to. In order to make the deadline for the article, Liz had to get home.

Jane and Elizabeth said their goodbye's to Charlie since he was the only one up by the time they left. The two lovebirds promised to meet each other the next day on the set.

When the door closed behind them, Will came downstairs, wiping the sleep from his eyes.

"Did Jane and Elizabeth just leave?" He asked.

"Yea. Liz wanted to get an early start. I think she said that she left her laptop at home and she had to finish the article by tonight."

"Oh. I'm kinda glad that I wasn't here when they left."

"Why?"

"Last night I went into the study because I couldn't sleep and Liz was there. We started talking, but it got a little awkward when the conversation drifted towards my parents..."

"Will. I know I tell you this all the time. The accident wasn't your fault." Charlie rubbed his face.

"But I can't help but feel guilty every time they come up in a conversation."

Charlie pat the back of his friends back. "I know, Will, but it's been almost four years."

"So...you were in the study with Liz last night?" Charlie asked, his eyebrows wagging.

"We just talked, Charlie." Will answered. _But I enjoyed talking to her _Will added to himself.

Charlie and Will made their way into the kitchen. As Charlie poured two cups of coffee, he observed, "You know what, Will? I think you two would be good together. With your uptight personality and her carefree attitude, you'd balance each other out!"

Charlie smiled his usual smile, but Will just frowned. "You know that relationships never work out with me."

"But those are all actresses that you've dated. And they're all fake and drove me bananas. Liz is not like them. She's funny and witty. Hah, remember at the club the night I met Jane. Her laughter is infectious!"

Will winced. Although she did have a laughter that brought the whole room to life, Will's thoughts were now on what he said as they were leaving the club. He didn't really mean what he said, he just wanted to get Charlie off his back. Will didn't want to admit that Charlie was right and that he did find Elizabeth attractive.

Charlie tried to examine Will's face. He noticed the slight blush and distracted gaze. "And I think that you like her!" He finished with a wry smile.

At hearing Charlie, Will flashed back to reality. "What? No. I...I don't like her."

"Iv'e known you for a really long time, Will. Look me in the eye and tell me you don't like her."

"I...I'm not playing this game." Will frowned and left the room in a hurry. _I wish I could just forget about her _Will thought as he stormed upstairs.

* * *

The entire car ride home, Elizabeth listened to Jane express her love for Charlie. She was delighted that her sister finally found someone that deserved her love. As she looked out the window Liz rolled her eyes and sighed.

There had been so many boys in the past who vied for Jane's attention, but none of them were as deserving as Charlie. Their sweet personalities made them the perfect, and cutest, couple.

It wasn't that Liz didn't want to share her sister's happiness, it was just that she had a lot on her mind and would prefer some peace and quiet. Elizabeth had a lot of things to sort through in her mind, namely Will Darcy.

After an hour of her sister talking her ear off, Liz had to admit that she was glad to be home.

"Well, I won't bore you anymore." Jane said as she unlocked the door to their apartment. She could sense that Elizabeth had enough of her chatter. "Go ahead and write your article."

Elizabeth gave her sister a smile as thanks for releasing her. She quickly took to her room.

In the safety of her room, Elizabeth leaned against the door and sunk to the floor. She no longer knew what to think about Will Darcy, and that meant that she didn't know what to write about him either. And that was a problem.

_On one hand, he's a proud, arrogant man. But on the other, he's compassionate and kind _Liz argued to herself.

She got up from her spot against the door and laid down on her bed. Her laptop was waiting for her there. She pressed the on button, got out her notes and recorder and prepared herself.

_As much as it pains me, I'm going to have to write a positive article. _Liz promised Charlie a publicity piece, and she had to deliver. If not for Charlie, for Jane.

The second her computer flashed on, Liz started typing away with much force. If the keys had feelings, Liz was sure that they would be hurt from her typing.

Liz knew the perfect title. _What Will Darcy Doesn't Want You to Know. _As her fingers flew across the keyboard, she read aloud:

_What is Will Darcy hiding from the world? The fact that he actually has a personality, maybe? When asked about his first acting job, he joked 'my first role was a dancing tree in my first grade play.' Among his favorites are The Beatles, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream, Avatar, and snowboarding. Despite what the press might say about Will Darcy and his dour demeanor, there is life under that cold shell. He's even excited about his upcoming movie, The Adventures of Sean Riley, which will hit theaters July 5th..._

When she finished she had an entire page of writing and Elizabeth was very proud of her work. Most of the things she added were not even part of the interview, but what they talked about later in the study. She was surprised that she remembered all those things about him.

_Maybe, _Liz thought _Will Darcy isn't really such a bad person after all._


	8. New York?

**A/N: **Another chapter! I know I still have a long way to go but I would love some feedback. What did you like/not like/hate/want to slap me for because it was so bad. I can take it. I'm a big girl.

I hope you enjoy this chapter...

**Ch. 8**

Liz walked confidently down the hall to her cubicle, the way she always did. Her heels clicked on the tile floor.

Everywhere she went in the building, people would say 'hi' to her. It had been two weeks and the excitement of her article still hadn't died down yet. She couldn't wait until it did.

"Oh Liz!" Charlotte called from her office as Liz walked by.

"Yea? What's up Char?" Liz paused in the doorway, leaning against the door frame.

Charlotte squealed and waved her hand to usher Liz in. She obliged and sat down in one of the chairs facing her friend's desk.

"I have some really exciting news!" Charlotte clapped her hands together. "My book is getting published!"

"No way! Congrats, Char!" Elizabeth replied.

Charlotte had been an amateur author from the time she was ten. Despite her parents telling her that it would never work out, she never gave up. To please her parents, she got a 'real' job, but always continued to write. About two months ago she sent her latest book to a publishing company in New York. Charlotte Lucas had accomplished what she always wanted to.

"And I'm going to New York soon to meet the publisher." A beat, "And I want you to come with me!"

"What? No, I can't Char. Work had been really busy and⎯"

"And you need a break, hon." Charlotte finished her sentence.

Elizabeth sighed. She had been really busy since she wrote the article about Will Darcy. And she really did need a break from everyone telling her how great it was that she got an interview with WIll Darcy. _Don't get me wrong. I love people praising my work, but I've always written things that I believe, and I'm not sure what to think about Will Darcy yet _Elizabeth thought.

"Okay. I'm in. When do we leave?"

"Yay! I'm so glad you agreed. I would have made you come along against you will if you said no. It's in two weeks. _De Bourg Publishing _is paying for the hotel and everything!" The smile on Charlotte's face was undeniable. Liz was beyond happy for her friend.

"Alright. I can't wait. I'll talk to you more after work. If I'm going to New York with you, then I'm gonna have to get more articles done until then."

"'Kay. Talk to you later." Charlotte responded with a wink and a click of her tongue.

Next stop: her boss. If she wanted time off work, she had to kiss some ass.

Gently, she knocked on the door to her boss' office and slowly opened the door.

"Hello? Mr. Stevens? Can I talk to you for a moment?" Elizabeth asked, almost inaudible. She didn't really talk to her boss often, so she wasn't sure if he even knew her.

"Hello." Stevens said cheerfully. "Come on in. Take a seat, please." Her boss was a stout man with a balding head but a kind disposition from what she heard.

Elizabeth awkwardly sat down and smoothed out her skirt. She then crossed and uncrossed her legs, unsure of how to ask for vacation time at a job she'd only been working at for a month.

"What can I do for you, Elizabeth?" Mr. Stevens asked.

_Oh! I guess he does know my name. _"Well, Mr. Stevens⎯"

"Please, call me Bob. And I know I sent an e-mail but let me just tell you personally that your article was such a great addition to the issue. We sold more issues than usual, probably because of all the crazy teens in love with Will Darcy." Bob Stevens chuckled.

_Well, that's not really where I expected this conversation to go. _"Okay, uhm, Bob...I well I was just wondering..."

Her boss interrupted her again. "And although I loved your food articles, I think you might have a career in celebrity gossip. Have you ever thought of branching out?"

An idea suddenly came to Elizabeth's mind. "Well yes" she spoke more confidently now that she knew a way to ask her boss for vacation time without actually asking for it. "I was thinking about trying travel articles. I know that my job is as a restaurant writer, but maybe we can do an experimental type of article. If you like it, we could do a piece on it."

"Hmmm...I'm listening." Bob propped up his elbows on his desk and leaned his chin on his hands.

"You know how Los Angeles is often compared with New York?" at her bosses nod she continued "I thought maybe I could go to New York and write an article about the differences of New York and L.A. You know, in terms of food, night life, everything. You wouldn't have to pay a dime."

Bob Stevens looked thoughtful for a moment. "I think it's a good idea, but you know that Jessica Barnes writes all the travel articles. However, she is going on maternity leave soon. When were you planning on writing this article?"

"Two weeks." Liz replied.

"Okay, you know what. Go for it. I think the idea is good and I know you're a great writer. I have faith in you."

Liz clapped her hands rather unprofessionally. "Yay! Thank you so much. You won't be disappointed Mr. Stevens...I mean Bob."

Bob gave Liz a smile. He really did have faith in this young, promising writer. "Alright alright, just send me an e-mail later with the dates and everything. It's up to you to plan everything."

"Thank you sir!" Liz got up from her chair, enthusiastically shook her bosses hand, and walked back to her cubicle with a jump in her step. She would have to work, but exploring New York with Charlotte wouldn't seem like working.

Liz was able to get a considerable amount of work done prepping for the trip until Charlotte came over and informed her that it was time for lunch.

Ever since their reunion, the two girls had spent a considerable amount of time together. They went on their lunch breaks together, had shopping trips (which was desperately needed on Liz's part) and frequently ventured to their favorite coffee shop whenever the need for caffeine arose.

"How about pizza today?" Charlotte suggested as they waited for the elevator took them to the first floor.

"Mhmm. Sounds delicious." Elizabeth responded.

The pizza shop was within walking distance to their work, so within no time they were seated in their favorite booth by the window.

"So, all this hype about Will Darcy hasn't died down yet, has it?" Charlotte ventured to ask.

"Ugh." Was all Elizabeth felt like replying.

"You really shed a new light on him, Liz. Fans always want to know new things about their favorite celebrities. People are starting to see him differently. The theory about Darcy being a robot is busted now, thanks to you."

"Char, I just wrote nice things about him to please Charlie. He really needed Will to get some positive publicity before his movie came out. And I'm kind of nervous about what Will Darcy will think. Not everything I wrote about him was...on the record."

"Well it's not like you wrote anything bad about him. If he sues then he'll look like a jackass." Charlotte reasoned.

"I hope he doesn't. I don't really know what he'd do."

"Mhmm, and what exactly is your opinion on this superstar actor?"

"I...I don't know what to think. All the things in that article are true, but it's like Will Darcy has two different personalities. One where he is charming, and the other where he is reserved and cold."

"Well you know what I think, hon. I think that you don't know what to think about him because you have a little crush deep down." Charlotte casually said with a sly smile. Upon seeing Liz's searing face to her response, Charlotte focused her attention on the slice of pizza right in front of her, not daring to make eye contact.

"Then it must be deep, deep, _deep _down, because now I'm angry with you for even suggesting that." Liz folded her arms and leaned back in the booth.

Despite her lack of trying, Liz could not stay mad at her friend for long. Charlotte's apologetic appearance made Liz forgive her almost immediately.

"I'm sorry, Liz. I was just teasing." Charlotte apologized.

"It's okay, all is forgiven...as long as you never bring it up again."

Charlotte brought her hand up to her face, pretending to lock her mouth and throw away the key like they did when they were little.

They both startled giggling and people turned to them to see what all their noise was about, but they were used to it by now. It happened almost every time they went out to eat.

"Alright, so tell me about this trip to New York. Stevens said he would let me go. But on the terms that I write an article about New York."

"Well...the flight is on the 29th. That's a little less than two weeks from now. Mrs. De Bourg is having her assistant pick us up and then we're going to her apartment to meet her, by the way I already told her you were coming, and then we stay there for a week while I finalize everything."

"Sounds good to me. When did you find time to tell Mrs. De Bourg I was coming? I thought you were working on your blog all day."

"I was. I told her yesterday you were coming." Charlotte said nonchalantly, examining her nails.

"But I just told you today I would come..." Elizabeth was confused for a second, then a wave of realization hit her. "Oh! You were going to make me come with you either way! You're so sneaky!" Elizabeth laughed.

Char threw her hands up in the air with a guilty look. "I needed someone for support. I've heard rumors that this De Bourg woman can be really intimidating."

Elizabeth clicked her tongue and said "Gotcha. I'm getting a free vacation out of this so either way I'm happy. She's probably not that bad."

"I hope you're right..." Charlotte said a little nervously as she sipped her iced tea.

* * *

Later that day Liz was approaching her apartment door, hands filled with groceries. When she reached the door she placed her bags on the mat outside in order to fish for the keys on the bottom of her purse.

Just as she found her key, the door across the hall swiftly opened. A girl rushed out with a disheveled appearance, heels in her hand and day-old mascara giving the girl raccoon eyes.

A man appeared in the doorway to the room the girl had just left. "Monica! Wait, baby!" the man called after her.

"Go to Hell! And while you're at it, lose my number!" The girl shouted back. She then turned down the hallway and disappeared out of sight.

"Well, shit" the man sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. This was when he finally noticed Elizabeth standing there in the hallway, desperately trying to get the key in the lock to open the door and escape the awkward scene that she just witnessed.

"Need help?" the man asked, looking down to her groceries.

"Uh...nope. I'm good." Liz stuttered. She was stunned by the strangers appearance. He looked like he just stepped out of an Abercrombie photo shoot. Wavy blond hair, sharp jaw, piercing blue eyes. In his apparent struggle to follow 'Monica,' he failed to put on a shirt. Elizabeth could see his toned abs. In fact, she could not stop staring. That is, until he moved towards her and grabbed her grocery bags.

"It's no problem. I'm already here anyway." The man smiled, his gorgeous white teeth showing through.

"Okay" Liz giggled nervously. A shirtless man was carrying groceries into her apartment.

After some more struggling, her door finally opened and the two stepped into the apartment.

"Wow" the man said, "Your place is so much nicer than mine."

"Oh, thanks. It's my sister who did a lot of the decorating." Liz placed the groceries on the counter and the man did the same. When both their hands were free, The man reached his out for her to shake.

"George Wickham."

Liz took his hand, gave a small smile, and shook it. "Liz Bennet."

"How come I haven't ever bumped into you before, Liz?" George asked curiously.

"My sister and I just moved in about a month ago. We haven't been in L.A long."

"Well I'm glad I finally met you. At least something in my day has gone right. I got a flat tire today while driving down the highway, and now my girlfriend just broke up with me." George sighed.

"Aww. That does sound pretty bad. Wanna stay for some coffee? It's the least I can do for helping me with my groceries." Elizabeth smiled at him.

"That would be great."

"Okay. I'll put some coffee on. How 'bout you go get a shirt on and we'll meet back here in two minutes." Liz joked.

George looked down, seeming to notice the fact that he wasn't wearing a shirt. "Right. I'll be right back." He took off, heading out the door and across the hall.

Two minutes later he returned shirt-on. Elizabeth handed him a mug and ushered him over to the couch.

"So, tell me a little bit about yourself George Wickham." Liz asked, quirking her eyebrows.

"There's not much to tell. I was born in New York, dropped out of college because I wasn't able to afford it anymore, and now I'm stuck in a thankless job at _Applebee's. _My day has just been going downhill...that is until I met you." George smiled flirtatiously.

"Aww shucks" Liz swatted his arm. "I'm flattered."

Just then, the door opened and in stepped Jane. "Liz I'm home!" she shouted before realizing that she was sitting right at the couch...and was with a guest. "Oh, hi. I didn't realize Liz had company."

"Oh Jane, come meet George. He's our neighbor from across the hall. He helped with my groceries so I invited him in for coffee."

"Hello, George." Jane said cheerily.

"Pleasure to meet you." George responded.

"Liz, I forgot to tell you, Will wanted to thank you." Jane told her sister.

"Ugh! Don't remind me about Will Darcy. I didn't do that stupid interview for him. I did it for you and Charlie." Liz responded.

At hearing the name 'Will Darcy,' George's ears perked up. "Wait, are you talking about movie star Will Darcy?"

"Yea, Liz interviewed him for _L.A Mag _two weeks ago." Jane said.

"Humph. And what was he like? An arrogant ass?" George asked Liz.

"Totally. He's definitely a mystery."

"Well I could tell you a few things about his that would leave no question as to his character."

"What? You know him? Like, personally?" Liz asked, a little shocked.

"Yea. We grew up together." George responded, acting a little more miserable than before.

"Holy Shit! You have to tell me about him!" Liz demanded, hungry for answers.

"I don't know if I should, I mean, he is a well-respected man..." George trailed off.

"No. You've got to tell me. You're the one that got me started. Explain!"

"Okay. I guess so." George folded his hands and put on a solemn face. "So like I said, we grew up together. His parents were actors on Broadway, and my dad was their agent. When my father died when I was twelve, the late Mr. Darcy took me in and treated me as his own. I think Will always resented me because his father liked me better.

"Anyway, when we were 25, Will decided to move here to Hollywood to act, he had just gotten a role in a film. I decided to follow, seeing as there were more opportunities for me here. A few months later, when Will's sister, Georgie, graduated high school, she came to visit Will. I had always been close to Georgie and we kept in touch when I was here and she was still in New York. We decided to meet and grab a bite to eat one day. When I saw her, it was like so much had changed about her. She looked more grown-up, just in those short few months that I hadn't seen her. I started having feelings for her, so I told her. She told me she felt the same way.

"We decided to get married. I know it seems crazy that we just decided it so quickly, but we had known each other almost our whole lives. We decided to meet the next day and run away together. She was staying with Will, so we planned to leave at a time that he would be out. However, when I got there, I saw Georgie sitting nervously on the couch and Will waiting for me. I don't blame her for telling her brother, I just wished he had acted a different way.

"So, long story short, he beat me up. I ended up in the hospital, but I never pressed charges. It would have hurt Georgie too much if I punished her brother. When Will was done beating the shit out of me, he told me never to talk to him or his sister ever again. It's been nearly 4 years and I haven't said a word to either of them."

When George finished his sad story, the room was quiet. Neither Jane nor Liz knew what to say after their neighbor that they had just met spilled his guts out to them.

"That...Sucks." Liz finally said.

Jane solemnly nodded in agreement.

"I can't believe he did that!" Liz raised her voice. "He beat you up, and then kept the girl you loved away from you. I'm so sorry!"

"No, no. Don't be sorry for me. I'm just sorry for Will. He may seem put together on the outside, but I know that he is suffering inside." George said somberly.

"You shouldn't defend him. He hurt you." Liz said.

George stood up. "It's okay, Liz. I'm over it." He stroked her cheek, then placed his empty coffee mug on the counter. "I should get going. Thanks for the coffee, Liz. It was nice meeting you two."

And with that, George Wickham left, shutting the door behind him.

"At least I know what to think of Will Darcy now. He's a fucking douche. The king of all douches." Liz spoke.

"You don't know his side of the story though, Liz." Jane rationalized.

"I don't need to. I already know that I hate him."

"But Liz⎯"

"Jane, you're too nice for your own good. I love you for it, but you just have to realize that not everyone is good. Will Darcy is one of those people."


	9. The Honorable De Bourg

**A/N: **I'm on Spring Break! Wooo-Hooo! So I might update more frequently but I can't say for sure...cause I have a life (Kinda, not really). Anyway, I'll try to update at least twice this week. And keep reviewing. I love getting reviews. Thanks so much for having read this far. Love you guys!

**Ch. 9**

"I'm so nervous." The bubbly brunette said as they made their way to baggage claim.

"Don't be, Char. They're already publishing your book." Elizabeth gave her friend a supportive smile.

"You're right. I have nothing to be worried about." Charlotte straightened her posture, but there was still a panicky look in her eyes.

It was finally the day that Liz and Charlotte traveled to New York to meet Mrs. De Bourg, publishing magnate.

"So you said we're supposed to be picked up by her assistant? What did you say his name was again?"

"Uhh...Bill Collins I think. He said he would meet us here."

As if on cue, a man behind them cleared his throat and said in a nasally voice, "Miss Lucas? Miss Bennet?"

Charlotte and Liz turned around to see a short man with an oddly shaped face and pursed lips staring at them.

"Yea" Charlotte said. "You must be Bill Collins. I'm Charlotte and this is my friend Liz." She reached out her hand for him to shake and Liz did the same.

Soon after their introduction, Bill ushered them out the door to the short-term parking.

"My car is just over here, It's the light blue one. Did you know that the color blue symbolizes intelligence. Mrs. Dr Bourg told me that herself. Says I should drive a smart car." Collins rambled on and walked ahead of the girls.

"Uh oh, Char. He owns a powder blue Prius. If you were nervous before, then you must be freaking out right now." Liz whispered to Charlotte when Collins was out of hearing range.

Both girls snickered. Liz always knew how to make Charlotte feel better.

By the time they reached the car, Bill Collins was already waiting inside with the car started. "Come on, ladies. Time is money as Mrs. De Bourg always says. She is such a wise woman and I'm so grateful to be one of her many employees."

While Collins was going on and on, Charlotte and Liz put their carry-on's in the trunk and piled into the car. Charlotte had already called shot-gun on the plane ride so she sat up front and Elizabeth took the back.

Before Liz even had her seatbelt on, Collins was backing out of the parking spot, apparently eager to get back.

"Mrs. De Bourg wants you in attendance at her apartment by three o'clock and I do hope to get there before we run into any of the dreadful New York traffic in the city."

Liz let out a small laugh. '_Like there was never not any traffic in New York City' _she thought.

Collins, who seemed to hear her laugh half-turned to her and coldly said, "Is there something funny Miss Bennet? I don't recall telling a joke."

Elizabeth tried to come up with something to say quickly and blurted out, "I was just looking up in the sky and saw a pretty cloud. It...made me laugh." She tried to be serious but her lame lie made her fit of laughter even worse. Even Charlotte was amused.

Collins didn't seem convinced but turned around to face the road nonetheless. "Irregardless..."

This made Liz laugh even harder. Her eyes were tearing up and she had to wipe them. _Did he really just say irregardless? This guy is idiotic._

From the rearview mirror Liz could see Bill Collins scowl. It did not make him look any better.

"Well, I do hope that your friend is not like this when we arrive at the De Bourg residence, Miss Lucas. Her sense of humor does not match that of the honorable woman. I suggest that you keep her under control."

"Yes, sir." Charlotte said, trying to hide her smile. She looked back at her friend who just shrugged.

"Oh. I have to call Jane! I completely forgot. She told me to call when we landed." Liz fished through her purse for her cell.

She dialed the number and pressed send. She didn't have to wait that long for her sister to pick up.

_"Oh, Liz! You got to New York safe?"_

"Yup, Janie. We are on our way to the honorable Mrs. De Bourg's house as we speak."

"_Hah. Good. I'm glad you got there safely." _

"Safe and sound. How's L.A? What are you and Charlie up to today?"

_"Well, we have the entire day to ourselves. They're done shooting the movie and Will has left to go somewhere, I don't know, so Charlie and I are spending the entire day together!"_

"Is he with you now? I don't want to take too much time away from you. Get back to your date and I'll call you later."

_"Okay, Liz. I just wanted to make sure you and Char are fine and that you made it to New York safely. Have fun, sis."_

"Bye, Jane. Tell Charlie I said hi." With that, Liz hung up the phone. She missed her sister so much already but didn't want to intrude on her time with Charlie. Liz sighed audibly, she wished she could have someone like that in her life.

"Everything alright?" Charlotte asked.

"Yea, It's all good there. I told Jane we were fine and that we didn't die in an airplane crash." Liz joked.

Charlotte giggled. "Liz, you know how much your sister worries about you."

"I know. I miss her already." Liz responded.

Charlotte opened her mouth to speak, but before she could get a word in, Collins butted in. "Here we are! Rosings. It is magnificent isn't it. Mrs. De Bourg occupies the penthouse suite."

Liz looked out the window to observe said building. It was a high-rise with scary looking gargoyles on the top. It was not as magnificent as Collins claimed it to be, that was for sure.

"Shall we?" Collins said, stepping out of the parked car and walking towards the door to the building. "We have five minutes to get there. Mrs. De Bourg does not like people who are late."

Elizabeth and Charlotte rolled their eyes when Collins wasn't looking and followed him into the old apartment building.

* * *

The lobby of Rosings was decorated in a gothic style. Elizabeth felt like she was transported from the streets of New York City to a medieval castle judging by the décor. There were arched doorways and wood-beamed ceilings in the dimly lit area. Behind the reception desk there was a huge horse sculpture made of a hard, shiny metal. Other gaudy objects decorated the walls and floor.

"Scary." Elizabeth muttered under her breath, barely audible.

Collins, thinking that what she said had been a compliment, said, "Isn't it just grand? Mrs. De Bourg is the owner of the building also and personally picked out the decorations for the lobby."

"How...lovely." Charlotte uttered, not able to find a word that could accurately describe the décor without insulting the woman that was publishing her book.

"Now, this candelabra over here," Collins gestured to an object sitting on the reception desk, "is one of a kind, made in Italy especially for Mrs. De Bourg. The woman has so many wonderful connections."

"Who doesn't know a candlemaker?" Elizabeth joked and Charlotte snickered in response.

Collin's either didn't hear Liz or chose not to acknowledge the comment⎯most likely the latter⎯and ushered to the elevator, signaling that they should get a move on.

Once in the elevator, Collins pushed the button for the top floor, looking smug. Then, he looked to the watch on his wrist and gasped. "Oh no! We have precisely two minutes to get up there."

"Relax, Collins. We can make it in two minutes." Liz said calmly. His antics were starting to wear on her and they were no longer amusing and laughable.

The minute spent in the elevator couldn't have passed soon enough. Collins was breathing deeply, blaming it on his claustrophobia, and Charlotte and Liz just looked at each other in utter disbelief.

"He's crazy!" Liz mouthed.

"I know." Charlotte mouthed back.

The elevator beeped and Liz practically ran out. She was so anxious to not be sharing the same air space with Collins. She didn't know that the elevator lead right up into the living room of penthouse suite.

"Oh thank Go...oh hello." Liz said blushing, noticing that three pairs of eyes were staring back at her.

Collins sauntered out of the elevator, glaring at Elizabeth as he made his way to an older woman who was currently sitting in a huge chair that made her look old and frail.

"Mrs. De Bourg, this is Charlotte Lucas, the author, and her friend, Elizabeth Bennet." He said her name as if he had a sour taste in his lips.

Charlotte shuffled up to the woman and enthusiastically shook her hand. Liz, on the other hand just waved her hand and said "Hi. I've heard so many nice things about you" Almost sarcastically.

Mrs. De Bourg turned to the girls and said with a superior air, "Charlotte, Elizabeth. This is my daughter Anne, and my nephew Richard. My other nephew is lurking about here somewhere."

"Pleasure to meet you." Char and Liz said in unison.

Anne simply nodded, but Richard walked up to the two and shook their hands energetically. "Richard Fitzwilliam at your service. I'm pleased to meet two lovely ladies such as yourselves." He said with a large smile.

Elizabeth opened her mouth to say something witty back, but she heard a door close and a figure step out. Liz gasped and was immediately shocked. When the figure saw her, he mirrored the shocked expression she had.

"Ah, William. Nice of you to come join us. We were just introducing our guests." Mrs. De Bourg said, not noticing the previous look shared by Liz and Will.

"Well, there's no need to introduce me, aunt Catherine. I already know Charlotte and Elizabeth." Will replied, the look on his face still not gone.

"Do you? And how is it that you've come to meet them?" His aunt asked.

"They work for _L.A Mag_. Elizabeth is the one that did the article about me."

"Did she?" Mrs. De Bourg said condescendingly.

"Darce, this is the Elizabeth that you were telling me about?" Richard asked, his eyebrows slightly wagging.

"Woah, woah, waoh. Hold on." Liz said, holding up her hand in protest. "Don't believe anything he said about me!"

"What do you mean? Darce has been praising you ever since he got here." Richard said, putting his arm around Liz.

She blushed slightly at his cousin's response. She thought that he would have had some nasty comments to share.

Will cleared his throat and sat down in a chair located in the far corner of the room. He looked slightly embarrassed. "Small world" was all the words he could manage.

"Small fucking world, indeed." Liz muttered and Richard, still with his arm around Liz, snickered.

Mrs. De Bourg, feeling like she was being left out of the conversation, interjected "So tell me about yourself Elizabeth. I already know plenty about Charlotte, but next to nothing about you other than your career."

"Uh...I went to high school with Char and I started working with _L.A Mag _less than a month ago."

"Less than a month?" the older woman looked Liz up and down. "How old are you?"

Not liking the scrutinizing gaze she was being given, she responded curtly, "twenty four, ma'am."

"Hmmm...you don't look a day over twenty."

"Maybe it's 'cause I'm short." Was all she said.

"Yes, maybe it's your height. You're quite tiny. How long have you lived in L.A?" De Bourg observed.

"Not too long. A little over a month. I started working shortly after I moved."

"Well, yes. Without a husband in the near future, working is your only option, isn't it?" Mrs. De Bourg sardonically said.

Liz was a little startled by Mrs. Dr Bourg's forwardness. She had just met the woman! "As a matter of fact, I enjoy working, Mrs. De Bourg." Elizabeth quipped.

"Well, judging by your very outspoken personality, I'd say that you will be working for a very long time." Mrs. De Bourg retorted.

Elizabeth clapped her hands together. "Alright, now that we've had a little fun at my expense⎯"

"Maybe you should get to your meeting now. Weren't you supposed to decide on the cover of a book today or something?" Richard intervened.

"Of course, I nearly forgot." Mrs. De Bourg got up from her large chair. "Come, Collins. You too, Charlotte. I want you to see the office." She said as she waved them to the elevator.

"Yes ma'am." Charlotte responded, following the woman and glancing at Liz with an I'm-sorry-to-leave-you-with-a-bunch-of-strangers look.

Once they were gone, Elizabeth let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. "Thanks, Richard. I was about to explode."

"No problem, I just hope you'll return the favor when I need some saving." Richard responded, giving her a suggestive look.

Anne, who had not spoken a word since Char and Liz arrived, finally uttered, "I think I'm getting the flu. I'm going to go lay down." She excused herself.

From the time Liz walked into the room, she could see Anne in the corner, ready to flee to her room at any second. Elizabeth noticed that Anne was extremely pale, whether it was from being sick or just staying inside all the time, Liz did not know.

When a door closed behind Anne, Richard whispered in Elizabeth's ear, "She claims to have a new illness every week, but no one's too concerned. We figured out a long time ago that she was just a hypochondriac."

Liz nodded in understanding. She glanced over to Will and noticed that he was watching them too, scowling. Liz wasn't surprised.

She moved over to the couch and took a seat, keeping an eye on Will. Liz finally broke their gaze by turning to Richard and asking, "So what _did_ he say about me?"

"Hmmm...Well, I think I'm just going to let you figure that one out yourself, Lizzy-poo." He replied while ruffling her hair.

"I don't know what that means." Liz told him, a confused expression on her face.

Rich looked over to Will, who gave his cousin a steady look and shook his head slowly as if to tell him that he better not share a word he said.

Elizabeth didn't see this exchange, as she was observing the décor Mrs. De Bourg's living room had to offer, which was much like the lobby.

Liz already had a suspicion that Rich didn't want to tell her because he was afraid that what Will said would hurt her feelings. Maybe Will thought her stubborn or overbearing. Maybe he thought she had too many opinions.

Rich cleared his throat, attempting to change the subject. "I like your shirt, Liz."

Liz looked down at her shirt, stretching it out so that she could see it. She laughed when she remembered the shirt she was wearing. "Hah, this old thing? Well, I didn't realize that we would be coming right to the honorable Mrs. De Bourg's house right after the airport."

"No it's nice. Everyone needs a t-shirt with huge letters that spell out 'shit happens' on it." Richard chortled.

"Where does one buy a shirt like that?" Will chimed in.

"I got a guy."

"A guy?" Will questioned.

"Yea, a shirt guy. Kinda like a drug dealer but a lot friendlier and he gives me obscene shirts instead of drugs." Elizabeth said sarcastically.

"Really?" He asked.

"Of course not! I bought it from a store." Liz replied, a little annoyed.

"Sorry." Will responded, looking away as if he lost interest in their conversation.

"Well I like it. I have to get me one of them." Rich attempted to lighten the mood.

The elevator door beeped, signaling the return of De Bourg, Charlotte and Collins. Mrs. De Bourg exiting first, followed by a ridiculous-looking Collins and a weary Charlotte.

"Well that was fast." Liz exclaimed.

"Yes, yes." Mrs. De Borg waved it off. "When your business is located right next to your residence, things move quickly. I had them leave the cover options at the front desk and we picked one instantly."

Charlotte plopped down on the couch next to Elizabeth and whispered to her, "I don't know how she does it. I felt like we were moving at a hundred miles per hour."

"And then I gave Miss Lucas a tour of the first floor of the office, and now here we are, back home." De Bourg added.

She purposefully relocated herself to the tall, large seat she was previously occupying and the head of the room.

"Besides, I wouldn't want to be rude to my company." Mrs. De Bourg looked to Elizabeth and added, "I still have so much I wish to know about you, Miss Bennet."

"What is it that you would like to know?" Liz asked with slight irritation.

"For starters, what is your family like?"

Liz looked around the room, seeking something to say about her hectic family. Collins was looking at her with a scrutinizing stare, Charlotte was nervously fidgeting with her hands, Richard looked a little amused, and Will had picked up a book from a nearby table and was flipping through the pages.

"Well," Elizabeth started, "I have four other sisters, a mom, and a dad. My older sister and I just moved to L.A and the rest of my family is still in Philly."

"Five girls!" Catherine De Bourg exclaimed. "That must have been such a burden for your parents. And you lived in Philadelphia? How...enchanting." She said as her tone shifted from surprised to slightly disgusted.

Liz frowned at the comment and sassily responded, "Yes, the city of brotherly love. That is my hometown." Elizabeth finished with a fake smile.

Will looked up from his reading and almost smiled at her very forward personality. "Alright, Aunt Catherine. I think that this interrogation is over." Will cut in.

"Yea, I think that maybe Charlotte and Liz are tired from traveling. Maybe they want to go to their hotel and rest a little bit." Richard suggested.

Elizabeth nodded her thanks again and mouthed "I owe you guys." To Will and Rich. Elizabeth was surprised that Will helped to get his aunt off her back, but she was sill pissed at him when she thought of what George had said.

"That's a good idea." Charlotte told Mrs. De Bourg. "I think it would do us good to get a good night's sleep. Are we still on for the meeting tomorrow?"

"Of course. Tomorrow is a long day. We will be busy with the final touches of the book."

Collins joined in, "I shall take you to your hotel, your bags are still in my car."

Liz and Char stood up and said goodbye to everyone. Rich followed them to the elevator and spoke to Liz, "Since Charlotte will be busy all day tomorrow, I'm going to make it my personal mission to entertain you. Be here by ten tomorrow." And then he added in a whisper, "I'm sure the lady of the house will be gone by then."

Liz giggled. Richard knew her so well already. "Alright, can't wait to hang out tomorrow." She said with a wave as she, Collins, and Char boarded the elevator.


	10. The Car-oseal

**A/N: **Hey guys (or gals, whatever).Chapters entering the double digits! Thanks for sticking with it so far. That's all I have to say.

**Ch. 10**

Collins dropped Charlotte and Elizabeth off at the front of the hotel. They retrieved their bags from the trunk and were greeted by the doorman.

This lobby was an immense change from Mrs. De Bourg's apartment building. They were greeted with tall ceilings and large chandeliers. It felt open and welcoming, Liz liked it a lot better than Mrs. De Bourg's.

"Great Gatsby! I can't believe we're staying at The Plaza Hotel!" Liz exclaimed. "I feel like Eloise." She added a bit quieter, although some people still turned around to see who was making so much noise.

Charlotte laughed. "But you won't be going around making trouble for everyone else, will you?" She asked in a half-serious tone.

"Hell yea, I will. I get to stay at The Plaza for a week and I'm not even paying for it!"

"Liz, please try to behave. If you get kicked out of a hotel, it also reflects poorly on me." Charlotte said with a playful nudge.

They approached the front desk to check-in and get their room key.

"The room has two queen beds, right?" Charlotte asked as the man handed her the key.

The man looked at his computer and then back to Charlotte. "No, I'm sorry the reservation was for just one king. I could find a room available with two queens if you would prefer." He responded politely.

"Oh, no. I don't want to trouble you. This is fine." Charlotte said as she shifted the key from one hand to the other.

"Well let me know if I can be of any service. Have a nice stay."

Walking to the elevator, Elizabeth threw her arm around Charlotte and whispered, "Maybe Mrs. De Bourg thought we were a couple, Hm?"

Charlotte erupted into a fit of giggles. "You don't really think she does?" She paused for a moment. "Oh, it makes so much sense now. She asked me how long we've been together earlier. I thought she meant working together."

This time it was Elizabeth that burst out laughing. "Well, seeing as our anniversary is coming up soon, i expect something great."

Luckily, Liz and Char were the only the in the elevator, so no one else heard their conversation, or the laughing that filled the small space following their conversation.

As soon as they reached their room, Liz dropped her bag and kicked off her shoes. She was so tired from travel that she flopped on the bed. The soft comforter enveloped her and she almost instantly fell asleep.

* * *

At 10:45 the next morning Elizabeth woke up when Charlotte opened the curtains and the sun poured in and filled the entire room with sunlight.

She groaned and lifted her head up. Groggily, she wiped the drool from her face and flattened her hair.

"Morning, Sunshine!" Charlotte chirped. "I have to go to De Bourg publishing now. Collins is picking me up in the lobby at eleven and knowing him, he'll be there right on time so I gotta go now."

Charlotte opened the door and waved goodbye to her sleepy friend.

Elizabeth swung her legs around to the side of the bed to get up. That's when she realized she was still in the clothes she was wearing the day before. Her eyes widened when she realized what time Charlotte had said. She was supposed to meet Richard at Mrs. De Bourg's house at ten!

Jumping up from her spot on the bed she quickly kicked off her shoes and unbuttoned her shirt. Just as she finished the last button, there came a knock from the door.

Liz assumed it was probably Charlotte and that she forgot something upstairs. When she opened the door, she realized she was mistaken.

"There she is, my little China doll!" Richard exclaimed and gave Liz a bear hug. "Do you always greet people at the door like this?" Richard asked, observing her unbuttoned shirt.

Liz pulled the fabric closed. "If you must know, yes I do." She answered defiantly and opened the door further, signaling him to enter.

She walked over to her bag and opened it. "I'm so sorry that I wasn't there at ten. I just woke up and then I remembered that I had to meet you so I started getting dressed in some clean clothes and then you knocked." Elizabeth explained.

"It's cool. I figured as much, so Will and I came here. He bought coffee, but then I lost him in the lobby."

Liz was shuffling through some clothes but paused when she heard the name Will. "Will is with you?" She asked inquisitively.

"Yea, but a bunch of paparazzi were following us so I lost him in a sea of people. I barely escaped with my life."

"I didn't know he was coming today." Liz said cooly as she walked into the bathroom to get changed, as Richard had made himself comfortable on the bed.

"Will wasn't going to come, but he changed his mind at the last second." Richard informed Liz.

"Oh" was all Liz knew to say. She wasn't sure if she wanted him there. He would ruin all the fun, after all.

With one last look in the mirror, she combed her hair with her fingers and swiftly brushed on some of Charlotte's lip gloss that she had left on the counter.

Elizabeth emerged from the bathroom and said, "Alright, let's get this show on the road. What are we doing today?"

* * *

The lobby was crowded, but it was nothing compared to the scene that Liz saw when she exited The Plaza with Richard.

"What the hell!" Elizabeth shouted over all the clicks of cameras.

"Hm, there were less when we got here. I wonder where they all come from." Richard said.

"You mean, all of these paparazzi are here for Will? Where is he?"

Rich shrugged, grabbed Liz's arm and lead her into the large crowd. When they got to the center, they realized just what all the commotion was about. Will was actually talking to the paparazzi and even agreeing to pictures with curious fans.

Elizabeth and Rich stared, dumbfounded with their mouths wide open.

"That can't be my cousin." Richard managed to say.

When Will noticed them, he smiled, wider than he had ever smiled before. It was a handsome smile, no doubt, but totally out of character. They had been expecting Will to be sitting in the lobby with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face. Instead, he was answering questions and taking pictures.

"Sorry, guys. I gotta go." Will said after he took a picture with a teenage girl. He walked right up to Elizabeth, smile still there, and handed her a coffee. He laughed a little and said, "It almost got knocked out of my hands a few times, but I saved it. I figured you would need it."

Elizabeth gratefully grabbed the cup and gave him a small smile and a "Thanks."

Richard clapped his hands together. "Alright, let's get going. I was thinking we could take a walk in Central Park, since it's right across the street."

"Sounds good to me." Elizabeth said and Will nodded.

The paparazzi were still snapping photos as they were crossing the street and asking Will questions. Most were about his movie, but one asked "Who's this Will? Are you dating?" as they pointed to Elizabeth.

Will chuckled and just answered them by saying, "I really gotta go now guys."

Soon, they disappeared into the park. When they were out of earshot of anyone else, Richard asked, "Who are you and what have you done to my cousin? This is so unlike you, Will. You were talking to people⎯"

"And you didn't have that look of constipation you usually do." Liz interrupted. _Why is he being...so nice?_

"Well, I read your article." Will revealed while scratching the back of his head. "I feel like I have a whole new reputation to uphold around the public. It was a really great article." He finished.

Liz blushed. Will could be really kind when he wanted to. "You don't have to thank me." _I didn't do it for you._

At least now Liz knew that he wan't mad about the "off-the record" conversation she put in the article.

The trio walked for a while after that, mostly small talk between Rich and Liz, but occasionally Will would offer a word or two, then become quiet once again. Before they knew it, they were in front of the carousel.

Liz and Will sat down on a bench. Observing the two, Rich spoke up, "I'm hungry. I'll be over there getting something to eat" he pointed to a stand with a hot-dog vendor. "Would you guys like anything?"

"Yes, please. I'm starving. I'll have whatever you have." Liz replied.

"Me too." Will added.

Once Rich had left to get food, Liz asked, "So what brings you to New York?"

"My aunt's company is working on a film-adaptation for one of the books they published and she wanted me to read the script to see if I'm interested." He shrugged.

"Sounds super fun." Elizabeth said sarcastically but with a smile. "Do you think you're interested?"

"I'm only a couple pages in but I'm already bored. It doesn't look very promising." Will smiled, showing his dimples.

The sun shining on his face and his perfectly styled hair made him look especially handsome. _Holy shit, he looks really attractive when he smiles. No! Snap out of it Liz! _Elizabeth wanted to reach out and touch his face, but had to control herself.

She cleared her throat and carried on the conversation. "Well Jane says that you finished filming, so you must be looking for a new movie."

"Yea, but I don't want it to be just any movie. I don't want anything too cheesy, and that is exactly where my aunt's script is heading." Will said.

"I agree. You don't want one of those movies that are supposed to be serious but it just ends up being hilarious because whoever wrote it just used every cliché in the book."

Will laughed. "Yes, those movies."

"Sweet Baby Jesus!" Richard exclaimed as he walked back over to the bench, popping the rest of his hot-dog in his mouth, with two more in his hand.

"What's wrong?" Will asked.

"These are delicious!" Rich replied with a mouthful of food. He then handed each of them their hot dogs.

They both took the food and bit into it to see what Richard was raving about.

With her mouth full, Elizabeth declared, "It is extremely delish!"

Rich gave her a triumphant smile and sat down on the other side of Elizabeth. "They do have heavenly hot dogs here." He said as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

Elizabeth nodded, not wanting to be rude once again and speak with her mouth full. When she finally swallowed the hot dog she was eating, she look the the carousel and said, "It's really pretty, the carousel."

"Ah, yes it is. Created in 1905 by the Germans, they named it 'Car-oseal,' which of course means spinny-thingy in German." Richard put on a big smile.

Will turned to him, his eyebrows raised, "No, Rich. This carousel used to be in Coney Island, it was moved here in the 1950s. The original was destroyed in a fire." Will retorted, matter of factly.

Elizabeth snorted. "I'm going to believe Will, his story doesn't sound ridiculous."

"Agree to disagree." Richard smirked, bumping Elizabeth, who in turn bumped Will accidentally and caused him to spill his hot dog, mustard and all, onto his pants.

"Sorry." Elizabeth said hurriedly, expecting to see a frown meet her eyes when she looked up to see his face.

Instead, Will met her eyes with a slight smile and a chuckle. "It's okay." He reassured her. "Georgie always tells me that mustard stains."

The name sounded familiar to Liz, but she couldn't place it. Instead, she grabbed one of the napkins that Rich had brought over and awkwardly started to wipe off the mustard from his pants. "I really am sorry, I ruined your pants."

"If anything, I blame Rich." Will said jokingly.

"Alright, I owe you a pair of pants, Darce." Rich chortled.

"Elizabeth, really, you don't have to do that." William said to Liz, gently taking her hand.

"Okay, I think I made it worse anyway." Liz confessed.

"Hah, it's fine, Elizabeth, don't worry about it." Will assured her, gazing down at Liz.

His unusual kindness startled Liz. First, with the paparazzi, then he complimented her article, and now he was giving her an almost heart-melting look. Elizabeth had to admit, he looked good, mustard stained pants and all.

Richard lifted his arm and looked at his wrist, clearly no watch on it at all. "Look at the time." Rich said, "I think we have to get back to Aunty Cathy's place for lunch. Charlotte's going to be there too so we have orders to bring you along, Liz."

Elizabeth broke the gaze and cleared her throat. "Yea, sure. Let's go."

The long walk back to the entrance of the park was relatively quiet. Elizabeth and Will were deep in their own thoughts, about the other person, of course. Rich just let them be. They obviously had some chemistry, and Rich hadn't seem Will act like that since his parents died. There were a few cabs lined up near the entrance to the park, so they took one instead of walking the ten blocks to Mrs. De Bourg's apartment.

"Ready to face the beast living on the top floor?" Richard asked sarcastically as they got out of the cab and Will paid, but Elizabeth thought it was an accurate description of the old lady.

She just looked up to the penthouse suite, where she could have sworn she saw Mrs. De Bourg staring back down at her from the window.


	11. Parlez-Vous Français

**Ch. 11**

"So nice to see you again, Elizabeth." Mrs. De Bourg said as the trio entered the living room.

"It's lovely to see you too, Mrs. De Bourg." Elizabeth responded with a hint of sassiness.

"Please, sit." The woman said while gesturing to the couch.

With a smile that would look friendly to anyone that didn't know her, Elizabeth walked over to the couch, gently sat down, and placed her hands in her lap. _What have you got to say to me now?_

Charlotte joined her on the couch and took Liz's hands in her own. "How was your day?" She asked.

Richard stood behind the couch and put his hands on the girls shoulders. "We had oodles of fun today. Will, Liz, and I walked to the carousel in Central Park and ate some yummy hot dogs."

"Heavens! William, what in the world is on your pants?" Aunt Catherine gasped.

"Oh, uhm it's mustard from the hot dogs we ate." Will shrugged.

"You walked around New York City like that?! William, do you know what that will do to your reputation? There are already so many people who watch your every move, why draw unwanted attention to yourself?" Mrs. De Bourg sounded scandalized.

"It's just a little⎯" Will began.

"Actually, Will was making quite an impression on people outside The Plaza this morning." Liz interrupted. "A little mustard on his pants means that he's only human."

Will gave Liz a grateful smile. Liz wasn't sure why she had defended him. Maybe she was just wanted to get the better of Mrs. De Bourg.

Mrs. De Bourg grumbled some words of protest but quickly gained her composure. "Well, I've made two o'clock reservations at _La Cuisine Culinaire, _so we better get going if we want to make it on time." The woman growled.

"Oh, I didn't know we were going out to lunch. I would've dressed nicer." Elizabeth looked down to a pair of worn, black skinny jeans and an old, but comfy v-neck tee. _At least it's better than my shirt from yesterday..._

"You'll be fine, sweetie." Charlotte reassured her.

Mrs. De Bourg scowled. She didn't seem to approve of Liz's wardrobe. "Since you don't have enough time to change, your outfit will have to do."

"Aunt Catty, Liz looks very pretty, right Will?" Rich said with a smirk.

Will cleared his throat, "Uh, yea." He said in a low voice, staring directly at Elizabeth with a slight tinge of red in his cheeks.

Elizabeth, just as red, looked away in embarrassment. _This is so unlike Will, or is it? _Liz thought.

Ignoring the obvious amusement of Rich and Charlotte and the obvious embarrassment of Will and Elizabeth, Mrs. De Bourg said, "Before we leave, Will, I want you to change your clothes. You look dreadful."

"Thanks, aunt Catty." Will said sarcastically. "I'll be back in five minutes." He addressed the rest of the room.

After Will had left to get changed, Charlotte asked, "Where is Anne? I saw her when we got back."

"Oh, she's fine. Probably just in her room." Mrs. De Bourg waved her off. Then, she shouted in the direction of her daughter's room, "Anne. Anne! _Anne! _Get out here, we will be leaving for lunch very soon."

Just then, the door to her room swung open, and Anne stepped out, tissue box in hand.

"Mother, I'm not feeling well. You'll have to go without me." Anne sniffled.

"Darling, you must get out of this apartment. You haven't left in over a week. You _must _make your appearances." Mrs. De Bourg insisted.

"Aunt Catherine, Anne isn't feeling up to going out at the moment." Rich winked at his cousin. He knew that the only reason she pretended to have a cold every other day was so that she didn't have to go out with her demanding, overbearing mother. Anne gave a slight smile for trying to get her mother off her back.

"I suppose you could stay home today. But I want you in the office by tomorrow. If you're going to take over the company soon, I need you to learn a few things."

Anne sighed. "Alright, mom. I'll be in the office tomorrow." Without a response, Anne turned around to return to her room.

Right after the door to Anne's room closed, the one to the guest bedroom opened and out stepped Will, looking dashing as ever.

"Good. You're done William. We better leave now or we will be late." Mrs. De Bourg stood up and made her way to the elevator.

As they were all piling in, Liz asked, "Where's Collins? It's so much quieter without him. Last time we were in the elevator with him, he practically had an anxiety attack."

"Mr. Collins had to run a few errands for me, but I told him to meet us for lunch promptly at two." De Bourg said.

Liz almost made an excuse to not go to lunch when she found out Collins was going to be there. But then she remembered that Charlotte would have to sit through a lunch with a crazy old lady while Collins praised the woman non-stop while simultaneously boring everyone to death. Elizabeth wouldn't put her friend through that kind of torture, so all she said in response was "Oh."

The elevator couldn't exactly fit five people in comfortably, so Will, Liz, Charlotte and Rich were all uncomfortable squished together to give Mrs. De Bourg room because if she didn't have her personal space, Lord knows she would have gone berserk.

Thankfully, their ride was over soon and they stepped out of the building and into a limo waiting to take them to the restaurant.

"Does she always travel like this?" Elizabeth whispered to Rich, who she was sitting next to.

"Yea. Once she went to CVS to refill her prescription and she just had to bring a limo and an entourage with her. It was quite the site." Rich responded.

The ride was short. They pulled up at _La Cuisine Culinaire _a little less than ten minutes later. They piled out of the car and made their way into the restaurant.

"Mrs. De Bourg, so nice to see you again." The hostess said politely.

"Yes, yes. Is our table ready? I had my assistant call earlier." Mrs. De Bourg responded a little impatiently.

"Of course. Right this way." The hostess turned around, grabbing some menus and leading the way to a circular table for six.

"Charlotte, darling, sit next to me. We can talk." De Bourg gestured Char to her side.

Char looked to Liz nervously, something that was not lost on Mrs. De Bourg.

"Oh, don't worry about your friend. She can sit with my nephews." De Bourg justified. And with that Charlotte sat next to the demanding old lady. After all, there was no way Charlotte was going to say no to her.

That left four chairs left. Rich sat next to Charlotte, Liz sat next to Rich, and Will sat next to Liz, leaving the last chair for Collins, who had yet to arrive.

Liz looked around the restaurant. It was cute and quaint. It was exactly what she pictured a french bistro would look like. "This is good. I'll have to put this in my article." Liz said to herself, but Rich heard.

"Article?" He inquired.

"Oh, yea. That was the terms of my 'vacation.' I get to go to New York as long as I write an article about it."

Will looked to Liz. "I didn't think you did travel articles."

"I don't." she responded. "But the woman that usually does is on maternity leave. My boss suggested I branch out."

Will nodded his head. "That's...cool." He broke their eye contact, instead staring at a crystal chandelier two tables away.

"Uh, yea. I guess. I'm going to go look for the owner, see if I write a few words about their restaurant. Excuse me." Liz pushed out her chair and disappeared towards the hostess table.

Rich leaned over Liz's vacant seat towards Will. "_Psst. _Dude, what's up with you?"

"What are you talking about? I'm fine." Will responded curtly.

"No, you were charming her pants off earlier and now you're being short with her. I know you like her, so what's wrong?"

"I...I'm just nervous. I think. I don't know. I've never felt this way before." He admitted.

"Awww. Is Willie falling for her?" Richard asked jokingly.

"_What? _No, no...maybe. I'm not sure. And I told you never to call me that."

"Well you gotta tell her how you feel. I don't think she even knows you like her."

"Alright, I will. Maybe."

"What are you two whispering about? You know my hearing isn't what it used to be." Their aunt demanded to know.

"Nothing. We were just wondering when Collins would arrive. Lord knows we can't have a party without him." Rich lied.

Mrs. De Bourg glanced at her watch. "You're right. I wonder where he is. He knows I don't like it when he's not punctual."

"Everyone knows it, aunt" Will muttered. Charlotte and Rich giggled.

"What was that, William?" De Bourg asked.

"I just said that Collins is here." Will pointed towards the entrance and a pudgy, balding man heading their way.

"Mrs. De Bourg. I am so sorry for the delay. I was held up at the office preparing for Charlotte's book." Collins spoke.

"Yes, Mr Collins. Just sit down." Seeming to notice Liz's absence for the first time Mrs. De Bourg asked, "Oh Charlotte, where did Elizabeth go? I am ready to order."

"I'm right here." Liz said, walking up to the table. "I just wanted to talk to the owner. It took a little longer than expected. Turns out, he only speaks french. I had to dust off my french from high school."

"Tu parles français?" Rich asked.

Liz laughed. "Oui, un peu. J'espère pouvoir aller en France un jour."

"You hope to go to France one day?" Will asked Liz, understanding what she had said.

"Yes, I would love to. It sounds magnificent." Elizabeth smiled wistfully.

Will, seeing her smile, also smiled. He was growing to love that smile. It was just so beautiful.

"So, you speak French, Miss Bennet. What else do you do?"

"Not much. I've been told that I don't seem to have many prospects in life." Liz said with mock innocence.

Mrs. De Bourg brushed off the comment. "Well, do you paint? Draw? Play an instrument? Write?"

"Uh...yea, besides my job of course, I write a little bit." Liz said.

"Are you published?" Mrs. De Bourg raised a questioning brow.

"No. And I'm not really planning on it. It's just something I like to do in my spare time. But I post stories on a fanfiction website. It's fun to see all the comments from complete strangers reading my work."

De Bourg smirked, as if she wasn't impressed in the least. "And what is your pen name? I would like to look at this work."

"It's uh...LizzyB." _Why did I just tell her that? I really don't want her reading my stuff._

"Well, I'll have to sample some of your work. What's your story called?"

"No title yet. It's a work in progress. Just like me, hah." Elizabeth tried to lighten the mood.

"You are aren't you." De Bourg sniffed and waved over a waiter. "I'm ready to order." She practically shouted in the poor employees face.

They placed their orders and were all settled with their five-star cuisine soon after. It was a delicious meal, but the conversation was horrid. Mrs. De Bourg insisted on grilling Elizabeth and complaining to the waiter about the lack of service which was, in fact, not lacking at all. She just needed something to complain about.

After they finished, Will insisted on footing the huge bill. "Aunt Caty, it's my pleasure. It's the least I can do for having me at your place."

"Alright, William. But I am perfectly capable of paying for food. I do own my own publishing firm, after all." Mrs. De Bourg said snootily.

"I know, Aunt Caty." Will muttered as he put his credit card with the bill and handed it to the waiter."

Soon, they left the restaurant and were parting ways. Mrs. De Bourg told Charlotte to be at her apartment at noon, as she never wakes up before ten. _Old ladies need their beauty sleep, after all. _Rich told Liz to come the same time as Charlotte and Rich, Will and Liz would decide what to do from there.

"Bye Rich, bye Will," Liz waved as they headed back towards their hotel.

"Bye Liz-Biz." Rich waved back.

"Bye Elizabeth." Will said back, intensely staring at her. It sent shivers up Liz's spine. _No, Liz. You don't like him! Remember what he did to George._

Liz broke their gaze, grabbed Charlotte's hand, and turned away from their group. "Come on Char, let's go."


	12. And None for Will Darcy

**A/N: **Sorry it's been a while...I've been swamped with school work. And it won't get much better. I'm taking the ACT on Saturday and then Sunday I'm doing this walk for my friend (Sharon's Ride. Run. Walk for Epilepsy: raise awareness for epilepsy guys!) Anyway, AP testing is also fast approaching and I have 3 to prepare for as well as a giant paper on Ellis Island (which I'm suppose to be working on right now, don't tell my parents) so I'm going to try to post in another week but I also have this strange phenomenon called writers block. It has never happened to me before. I'm stuck at the moment...

Before I go, I wanted to thank ConstanceBoniful for helping me with my french, which apparently sucks. But I appreciate your help. Also monkeylizard151 who told me to update so I did... sadly this chapter goes really fast so I don't know if you'll be all that happy with it. Thanks for the support! You're awesome!

**Ch. 12**

When Liz and Char got back to the hotel, Elizabeth made an excuse to go to bed early, claiming that the time difference was still getting to her, which was completely illogical. It was only 5 o'clock, but she didn't really want to stay up any longer.

Liz called the bathroom first.

Charlotte knocked on the door when she heard the sink running. "I think he likes you, Liz."

Liz feigned ignorance. "I don't know what you're talking about." She turned off the faucet.

"You know very well what I'm talking about." Charlotte said from the other side of the door.

"It's all in your head, Char. He's just hanging around me because Rich is. I don't know why he is being nice to me. Maybe Rich put him up to it."

"Oh, _Puh-lese, _Liz, you should see the way he looks at you. After we got our food, he couldn't keep his eyes off you."

"Well, you remember what he said about me that night at the club. And did I tell you about my neighbor?" Liz questioned.

"No. What neighbor. What does your neighbor have to do with Will Darcy?"

"Everything." Liz opened the door and pulled Char over to the bed. She explained the sordid tale of jealousy and lost love.

"Oh. My. Gosh. No way! That was a dick move." Charlotte gasped.

"Tell me about it. I felt so bad for him."

"Well. maybe you don't have the full story." Charlotte reasoned.

"That's what Jane said. But he just seemed so sad when he was talking about it. I mean, we had just met him and his girlfriend just broke up with him so that could have contributed to the fact that he looked so miserable."

"Wait, you just met him and he felt the need to divulge something so personal?" Charlotte asked skeptically.

"Well, yea. But⎯"

"Doesn't that seem a little fishy. It seems like he's just seeking attention."

"I don't think so." Liz sighed. "I don't want to talk about this anymore."

"Okay, hon." Charlotte patted her back.

"I'm gonna call it a night, alright?" Liz said.

"Yea, me too. Maybe we can go out tomorrow morning to get breakfast before I visit Hell with none other than Satan herself."

This made Elizabeth smile. "Night Char."

"Night Liz."

* * *

The next morning, they woke up bright and early, after a full night's sleep. They went to breakfast at a little café near the hotel. At promptly noon, they arrived at the home of Catherine De Bourg. Collins was already there and Mrs. De Bourg and Anne were ready to leave.

"Oh, Ms. Bennet, before I go, I wanted to share some feedback on your little fiction website." De Bourg sneered.

_Uh-oh. This can't be good. _"Go for it. I love criticism. Constructive or otherwise..."

"I thought that your storyline was not well thought out and your coarse language took away any sign of an intelligent writer." Mrs. De Bourg criticized.

"Well, I don't think it would be a good story without throwing a few '_fucks' _around. Know what I mean?" Liz retorted.

"_Humph. _I suggest you find a new outlet, Ms. Bennet. Writing stories is for the professionals. You clearly don't have the talent to make it in a cutthroat field like this."

Charlotte looked to Liz with a look of apology. Liz just shrugged her off.

"Come on Charlotte, Mr. Collins, Anne, It's time to leave. Elizabeth, I believe my nephews are on the balcony." With that, she pushed everyone into the elevator and left.

Liz was alone in the living room. She was tempted to take one of the expensive-looking vases and smashing it. Catherine De Bourg pissed her off so much!

But she knew she had to control herself. Anything she did wrong could affect Charlotte, so she just had to behave, even though that hasn't really been working out so far.

Before she did anything she would later regret, Liz made her way outside. The sight that greeted her was quite funny. Both Will and Rich each had a fishing rod in their hand, hanging it over the railing of the balcony.

"What the hell are you doing?" Liz laughed.

Both of the men turned around and smiled at Liz. "We're fishing. It would be a lot more fun if this apartment wasn't up so high." Rich answered her nonchalantly.

"Do you do this on a regular basis?" Liz asked.

"Yea, it's like cousin bonding time. We pretend we're at a lake." Rich said

Liz held up her hands and smiled. "Oh, well I don't want to bother you in your imaginary bonding time. I'll be inside."

Will spoke up for the first time, "No." He cleared his throat. "I mean, we're just sitting around, not doing much. You can stay. I want you to stay." Will gave a weak smile.

"Okay, if you insist." Liz said.

She moved over to a chaise lounge that seemed like it was hardly ever used. Liz stretched her hands behind her head and closed her eyes. "This is nice. It's just starting to get warm outside. I like this weather."

"Me too. Spring is my favorite season." Will added.

Richard's stomach growled. "I'm gonna go get us some snacks. I'll be right back."

And with that, Rich left and Will and Liz were alone on the deck.

Will put down the fishing rod and sat on the chaise next to Liz. He just stared at her as if he was looking for something to say but didn't know what.

"Can I help you?" Liz asked, a little bit annoyed that he was blocking her sun.

Will shook his head. "No, sorry." He got up from his spot and started pacing the balcony, his eyes never leaving Liz.

Soon after, Rich came back out with some fresh lemonade and pretzels for the group. "So what did you want to do today?" He asked.

"I don't care. I'm up for anything." Liz said.

"Well, we have the whole day to ourselves. Aunty will probably be working late since the deadline for the book is tomorrow."

"I have to finish reading that script that Aunt Caty gave me." Will said.

"Okay, how about we spend the day at home. Or, rather our aunt's home."

"I guess so." Elizabeth said. _I'm not really sure I want to spend the entire day holed up in the same space as Will Darcy, but I can't exactly say 'no thanks, I'd rather gouge my eyes out.' I'm just going to have to endure it. Will will be reading his stupid script anyway. _

An hour later, Will was situated in a chair reading his script while Liz and Rich decided on renting _Mean Girls _from Netflix.

"I didn't realize a grown man could like a chick-flick." Liz laughed.

"Like it? I love this movie! I live for quoting it." Richard looked astonished that she would suggest that he merely _liked Mean Girls._

They watched the movie, with Rich mouthing the words to almost every line. Liz laughed along with him at the funny parts.

Unbeknownst to Liz, Will was staring at her with that same intensity that he usually did.

"How are you doing on that script?" Rich asked Will when the movie was over.

"I've high-lighted all the lines that I don't think I would feel comfortable saying." Will held up the script covered in yellow high-lighter.

"So I take it this movie isn't for you?" Rich said.

"Not at all. Who would say this: 'Your eyes shine like bright blue marbles. They remind me of the marbles that I used to play with on as a boy. I will never forget those marbles, just like I will never forget your eyes.'"

Rich and Liz laughed. "That's so cheesy. Is it supposed to be?" Liz questioned.

"Nope. This is the scene where he confesses his love for this girl." Will answered, a little smile on his lips. Elizabeth had been cold to him earlier. He thought maybe she was mad at him, but that was impossible because he didn't do anything. Will was just glad that she didn't seem angry anymore.

Liz got up from her seat and moved next to Will to see the script. Richard's stomach growled. "I'm hungry again. I'm going to get takeout. You guys interested?" They both nodded their heads yes. "Okay, is chinese okay? There's this great place two blocks away." More nods from Will and Liz. "Alright I'll be back in like a half an hour."

Rich grabbed his wallet from the table near the door and was off, leaving Will and Liz in the apartment alone.

"Wanna read with me?" Will suggested.

Liz looked up from the script and to Will. _I shouldn't...but I'm curious as to what else this scrip holds. _"Uh...sure." _Damn Liz._

Will handed the script to Liz. "I've only read this far. So start right here." Will pointed to a line on the script.

"Okay." Liz cleared her throat and read the line. "'_Oh Brian, I didn't know that you felt that way_.'"

Will's line was next, he leaned closer to Liz in order to see the script. He spoke in a deep baritone voice. "'_I have, Erin, ever since I first laid eyes on you. You're the most beautiful person I have ever met and I love...I love you more than words can express._'" His voice was full of emotion.

_Shit! He's a good actor. He sounds really convincing. _"'_Brian, I feel that same way, but what about your fianceé_?'"

Will turned the page and read his line. "'_Shhh...forget about my fianceé. She means nothing to me._'" When he finished her line he looked to Elizabeth, giving her his usual intense stare that almost made Liz melt.

"_'But what if someone should find out about us?'_" Elizabeth almost whispered, looking up to Will. Their faces were closer than before. Liz cleared her throat without looking away from Will.

"_'Let them find out.'_" Will responded. Liz didn't even know if that was a line on the script. She was too busy looking in Will's eyes.

Liz glanced down to the paper in between them. "It says that Erin and Brian kiss now." She said softly.

Will brought his hands to Liz's cheeks. "Okay." Slowly, he brought his lips to her. Liz dropped the script on the ground and wove her hands through his hair. Liz felt butterfly's in her stomach. Will Darcy was kissing her, and she was kissing him. _Oh, Fuck. I'm kissing Will Darcy, that's not supposed to happen. _

Liz pulled away. "I can't do this!" She practically shouted as she got up from the couch.

"What do you mean?" Will questioned, clearly confused.

"I can't kiss you because...because of everything you've said, everything you've done!" She started pacing the room.

"What are you talking about?"

Liz threw her hands up in the air. "That night at the club, I heard what you said about me." She said bitterly.

"That night at the club?" Realization struck him. "I⎯"

"You what? You called me an ugly fame-seeking slut!" Liz crossed her arms.

"I didn't say that." Will said calmly. "I said that to get Charlie of my back. I may have thought that you just wanted attention when I first met you, but I know otherwise. And I _never _called you a slut. You're the most beautiful person I've ever met."

Liz scoffed. "I think you'd say that to anyone. Your an actor after all, I'm sure you're great at lying."

"No! I'm not lying. I've never lied to you." Will started to raise his voice.

"Well don't think that means that I automatically like you. I know what you did to your friend. Does George Wickham ring a bell?"

Will looked shocked and he clenched his fists at hearing that name. "George Wickham? How do you know him? What did he tell you?"

"He's my neighbor and he told me everything that happened with your sister. That you two grew up together, that you were jealous of him. He told me about how he was in love with your sister, but you thought he wasn't good enough for her, so you beat him up! You broke them up and they were in _love_!" Liz shouted.

Will's mouth hung open. "That's not what happened. You shouldn't believe George." He tried to remain calm but his temper was rising.

"I shouldn't believe you either. I don't know why I'm even here right now. The second I saw you in New York I should have ran the other way! But, no. I hung out with you and Rich and you were nice and I...I kissed you against my better judgement. But I shouldn't have because you're a bad person, Will. You're a bad person." Liz finished.

Will looked as if he was wounded. _I'm the bad one? _he thought. "Well," Will said bitterly, "if that's how you feel about me."

"It is." Liz was much calmer now that she got what she wanted off her chest. She promptly turned towards the elevator and left before Will could gather his thoughts and explain about George Wickham.

Will was fuming. _How could Wickham tell lies like that? And why did I let Elizabeth leave? I have to explain everything with Wickham. She thinks I'm a monster! _Will thought. But he knew that Elizabeth wouldn't want to talk to him face to face.

Still...he had to do something.


	13. 3 Lies, 0 Truths

**A/N: **No homework! So here you go, thanks for reviewing guys.

To ConstanceBoniful: I would love to! But it won't let me PM you, so shoot me one and I'll respond!

**Ch. 13**

Liz stormed out of the lobby. She could no longer hold back her tears. With blurry eyes, Liz attempted to hail a cab.

"Liz, where are you going?" The now familiar voice of Rich asked.

She wiped her eyes with her sleeve. "I just...I just need to leave. I don't want to be here anymore."

Rich put the bag of takeout on the ground and brought Liz into a hug. "It's okay, Liz." He patted her back as he tried to comfort her.

Liz started sobbing. "No, it's not. I'm not supposed to like him, Rich. He's this arrogant jerk who I was supposed to write a stupid article on and then he would be out of my life forever."

Rich didn't know what to say. He didn't even know what was going on. "I wanna go home, to L.A, Rich." Liz sobbed into Rich's chest.

"Alright, Liz-Biz. I'll let you go. I just want to let you know that whatever went on in there can be fixed." Rich hailed a cab and helped Liz in. He told the driver where to go and handed him some money. "Bye, Liz."

When Liz's cab was out of sight, he picked up the takeout and made his way up to the penthouse to have a serious talk with Will.

"What the hell, Will." Rich said when he arrived at the top floor.

Will was sitting on the couch, deep in thought.

"I was just getting back and I see Liz outside balling her eyes out. What happened?"

"A really big misunderstanding." Will dug the palms of his hands into his eyes.

"What kind of a misunderstanding?"

"George Wickham. She knows about George Wickham. Or at least what he told her. That bastard fed her lies and she believed them."

"Well you have to tell her the truth. You have to tell her what that fucker did to Georgie." Rich sat next to his cousin.

"I know I have to. I have to set things straight. I just don't know how. She never wants to see me again."

"She's going back to L.A. You could send her a letter." Rich suggested.

Will nodded his head. He left the living room and went into his room.

* * *

Back in her hotel room, Liz started packing her items furiously. She shoved clothes into her carry-on with great force. As she went into the bathroom to grab her toiletries, she dialed her office.

"Hello, Bob Stevens office, Wendy speaking." Mr. Stevens receptionist said.

"Hey, Wendy, this is Liz Bennet. Is Mr. Stevens available right now?"

"One second. Let me check." While she was waiting for Wendy to get back to her, Liz looked in the mirror. _I look like hell. _Liz wiped a tear from her eye. _Why am I still crying? It's not like I had any feelings for if I did, it would never lead to anything... _

"Ms. Bennet? I can patch you through to Mr. Stevens now." Wendy said.

"Thank you." Liz responded.

"Ahh, Elizabeth." Her boss spoke into the phone. "How is your article going? I look forward to reading it."

"Actually that's what I wanted to talk about. There has been...um...a family emergency and I need to come back to L.A. I have enough to write an article on, though." Elizabeth felt bad about lying to her boss. But what was she going to say, she wanted to come home because Will Darcy made her cry?

"Oh...that's not good. Of course. Book a flight and the company will cover the costs." Mr. Stevens said.

"Thank you sir. I'll be on the next flight home." Mr. Stevens was really the nicest boss anyone could ever ask for. He was encouraging and understanding when his employees needed it.

Liz ended the call and left the bathroom. The next person she needed to call was Jane. She picked up on the first ring.

"_What's up Liz?" _Her loving sister asked.

Liz inhaled deeply, trying to fake a happy demeanor. "Oh, nothing. I'm just heading home early. They, uh...need me to be there for a restaurant opening tomorrow night."

"_Oh, well I'm sorry your vacation got cut short. Did you have fun?"_

"Yea, Charlotte is always fun to hang out with." Liz lied for the second time to her sister.

"_Good, well I can't wait for you to be home. You'll never guess what happened while you were gone." _

"What? I've only been gone for two days."

"_Lydia showed up at our door yesterday. Mom didn't even know she was coming to L.A. She is understandably pissed." _Jane sighed on the other end of the line.

"Doesn't she have school?" _Not that it would matter to Lydia if she did skip school._

"_No, she has spring break now."_

"At least she's not skipping school. And why did she suddenly decide to visit California?"

"_She said, and I quote, 'this bitch has got to party.'"_

"Good to know that she misses her sisters so much." Liz joked, her mind on other aggravating subjects, namely their eighteen year old sister, Lydia.

The doorbell rang in the background. "_Oh, I gotta go, Liz. I think it's George, he's been stopping by a lot lately." _

So much for her mind being off Will Darcy...

"Alright. Bye, sis. See you soon." Liz said.

"_Bye Liz, love you._"

"Love you too Janie."

With that, both sisters hung up. Liz grabbed her carry-on and was out the door towards the lobby. Liz asked the concierge to book the soonest flight from JFK to LAX. The only one available was a red-eye at eleven p.m, but she took it. "I just want to get out of here." she muttered under her breath. The concierge gave her a sympathetic smile.

"Oh shit, I forgot about Charlotte." Liz said as she stepped out of _The Plaza Hotel. _As Liz stepped into a taxi she dialed Char's number. Voicemail.

"Hey Char," Elizabeth started the voicemail. "I'm on my way to the airport. I'm going home. There's a thing...with...Lydia...anyway I just wanted to wish you best of luck with your book and I'm looking forward to seeing you back at work. 'Kay, bye."

_Damn, I have lied to three different people within the span of an hour, all because I don't want to tell them the real reason I'm leaving. At least when I get home there will be another problem facing me, Will Darcy would (hopefully) be forgotten soon._


	14. US Weekly

**A/N:** ehh...

**Ch. 14**

True to herself, Lydia was a problem. A whirlwind of problems. Liz arrived home at seven in the morning, after standing in a line for a taxi for over an hour.

Lydia just added to her growing headache.

"Oh Lizzy! I'm so glad you're home! L.A is so much fun. _Way _better than Philly." Lydia cooed.

"I told you not to call me Lizzy." Was all she had to say to her sister.

"Are you not happy to see me?" Lydia fake-pouted.

"It's not that. I've just had a crappy few days, that's all." Liz brought her sister into a hug. "I missed you, how have you been?"

Despite the constant annoyance her sister gave her, Liz still loved Lydia.

"Ugh! School sucks. My teachers don't appreciate my artistic talent." Lydia said.

"And what talent would that be? Your knack for vandalism?"

"That was one time sophomore year! Am I going to live that down for the rest of my life?!"

Liz put her bag down and walked into the kitchen to get some much needed coffee. "Yes, you will. It's on your permanent record." Liz stated.

"Well my school record doesn't matter anymore because I'm not going back." Lydia said defiantly, putting her hands on her hips.

Liz almost laughed. "Very funny. You're going back to school. You have to graduate high school. Besides, you only have a couple months left. Did you talk to Jane about this yet?"

"No, I just decided it right here, right now. I'm never going back to school. Ever. I'm staying with you guys."

"Oh no, you're not. You're going back to school once break is over." Liz said, her voice stern.

"You can't make me." Lydia stuck out her tongue. "I'm an adult. I can do what I want."

"You may be eighteen, but you are certainly not an adult."

"You're not my mom, you can't tell me what to do!" Lydia stormed out of the kitchen and into the living room.

Elizabeth was going to go start a screaming match with her sister about getting an education, but her phone ringing in her pocket stopped her.

She sighed. "Speak of the devil." Liz muttered. She braced herself for whatever her mother had to say to her now.

"Yes mom?" Liz said politely.

"Elizabeth, _do you know what my US Weekly told me today?"_

Liz pinched the bridge of her nose. She did not want to be playing this game. "I don't know mother. Are Brad and Angelina adopting another baby?"

"_No! Not yet, anyway. But they are due for another one soon. Today my US Weekly told me that Will Darcy has a new girlfriend."_

Elizabeth cringed. "Did it? Well that's nice mom. Was that all you wanted to tell me?" She was growing impatient.

"_Of course I have more. Do you know who his new girlfriend is?" _Mrs. Bennet didn't wait for an answer. "_It's you, apparently."_

Liz spat out her sip of coffee when she heard her mom. "_What?" _Liz practically screeched.

Franny Bennet continued as if she hadn't heard her daughter. "_Imagine my surprise when I flip open my magazine and I see a picture of you and Will Darcy in Central Park. When was this? And why didn't you tell me you had a boyfriend?! I had to find out from a magazine, Elizabeth."_

"That was two days ago. And he's not my boyfriend, mom." Liz didn't want to talk to her aggravating mother anymore, so she hung up. She then proceeded to turn off her cell phone and unplug the house phone so that her mother couldn't reach her. She had heard enough about Will Darcy. He was making her crazy!

* * *

The next day, she was back at work. She was a little sad when she passed Charlotte's empty office. Liz really missed her. Char had responded to Liz's message the previous day, and they talked for a while, but soon, duty called.

Liz made her way to her desk just as the mail cart was passing through.

"Uh...Elizabeth Bennet?" The office mailman questioned her.

"Yea, that's me. Got anything for me?"

"Just one thing. A letter." The young man handed her the letter and made his way to the next desk.

She looked at the letter for a minute. The handwriting was unfamiliar, but very meticulous and neat. Carefully, she opened the envelope.

Liz unfolded the paper inside the envelope. Then she saw who wrote it. _Will Darcy. Man, I just cannot get a break. _She was about to toss the paper into the garbage, but her inherent curiosity got the best of her. Why would he write her a letter? She had to find out:

_Dear Elizabeth, _

_I was unsure of your home address so I mailed this letter to your work. I'm sorry if this is a little awkward._

_This letter is not about our kiss, but the subsequent argument that took place. I wanted to clear up some of the things that were said, or rather, not said._

_Firstly, I wanted to talk about the club. I was in a bitter mood and I lashed out at Charlie. I am so sorry that you overheard what I said. The truth is, you are the most beautiful woman I have ever met. I love the fire in your eyes when you speak, because you speak so passionately. You are an amazingly beautiful woman and by no means 'not pretty' as I stubbornly said before._

_Next, I would like to address a rather important and sensitive topic: George Wickham. We did, indeed grow up together. But I never disliked him because I was jealous, I disliked him because as a child, he was constantly getting in trouble, and it did not get any better with age. He followed me to L.A, maybe because he thought he could mooch off me, but it couldn't have been to make something of himself. When my sister came to visit after she had graduated high school, she started spending time with Wickham, as I was busy filming. I deeply regret leaving her alone with him now. _

_One day when I came back from work, my sister told me that she and George were in love. I truly did believe that she was in love with him, but the only thing George is and ever will be in love with is money. Wickham devised a plan where he would marry my sister to gain access to her large trust fund given to her upon my father's death. When he showed up at my house the next day to run off with Georgie, I stopped him. Regrettably, I did punch him. A couple times. _

_I asked him how much it would take for him to leave our lives forever, and he told me 'one million dollars would suffice.' So, I gave him the money and told him that if I ever saw his face again, he would regret it._

_My sister was heartbroken. She believed that George did love her. I hated being the one to tell her. A few weeks later we found out that Georgie was pregnant. In another few weeks, she miscarried. She fell into depression. She became a shadow of her former self. My little baby sister wasn't as innocent as she once was, and it was all because of that bastard Wickham. I blame myself for not protecting her. Four years later, she is just starting to come out of her shell again. She has been through so much._

_So that's the real truth about George Wickham. Rich knows the whole story, too, so if you don't believe me, you can ask him. Even if I never see you again, I just couldn't let you go on believing that George Wickham is a saint who has been wronged._

_I really appreciate you reading this. Thank you, Elizabeth._

_-WD_

When Liz finished the letter, she put in down on her desk. She needed to get her thoughts in order, but her tear ducts had other ideas. Liz covered her mouth and started to sob silently. _How could I be so stupid, believing Wickham. Jane and Charlotte were right, there was more to the story. But I didn't listen, instead I lashed out on someone so undeserving. And poor Georgie! No one deserves to go through that! What have I done?_

A couple co-workers passed by Elizabeth. She quickly wiped her eyes and attempted to compose herself. "Is everything alright Liz?" One of her co-workers asked.

"Yea, I'm fine, thanks." Liz sniffled. Her co-workers looked at her suspiciously, as if they weren't buying it, but they thought it best to just give her some space.

Her desk phone rang when the others left. "Hello?" She answered.

"Ms. Bennet, this is Wendy, Mr. Stevens assistant. He would like to see you in his office." The voice on the other end was solemn.

What was this about? Did someone tell her boss about her momentary breakdown? "Uh...okay I'll be there in five minutes." Liz answered.

Wendy told Liz that Mr. Stevens would be waiting. She put her letter down and walked towards the elevator to go to the top floor. She had the elevator to herself, making her even more nervous about what her boss had to say.

Liz couldn't stop thinking about the letter either. _Do I even believe him? What am I thinking, of course I believe him. _"Oh come on, Liz. It's not like you're ever going to see him again." She started talking to herself. "It's not like you had any feelings for him. It would never have worked out anyway. He's a _fucking _celebrity and you are just a girl from a middle class family in Philadelphia. Stop talking to yourself, Liz." She admonished herself.

The elevator door beeped, signaling the end of her journey. Liz reluctantly stepped out of the elevator. She slowly made her way to her bosses office, counting every step she made by the clicking of her heels on the floor. Today was just not her day. She totally fucked up with Will, and now she was probably going to be yelled at by her boss.

Opening the door quietly, she peeked her head in the office to gauge her bosses mood. He seemed completely at ease. Maybe even a little smug.

"Hello, Mr. Stevens." Elizabeth shyly said.

"Com on in, Elizabeth." He waved her in.

"What is it you wanted to see me about?" She asked.

Bob Stevens chuckled. "Getting right to business, are we? I have some good news for you, but first, how is your family?"

"My family?" Liz realized that he was referring to the lie she made up to leave New York, yet he didn't seem to know it was a lie. "Oh...they're all fine now. It was nothing big. Just a minor...thing...that is all fixed up now..."

Bob steepled his fingers. "Good, good. Well, now to my good news." He reached into his desk and pulled out a magazine. _Uh oh, that's the US Weekly that my mother was talking about..._

"Is this true?" Her boss asked, a little smug grim playing on his lips.

"No, sir. It's not. I...I can explain." She started, but didn't know exactly how to finish.

"No need to explain." He said. "Will Darcy already told me all about it when I called him fifteen minutes ago."

"You called Will?" Liz asked, a little confused as to why her boss would call him.

"Yes, and he agreed to an interview, to clear things up. After much prodding from me, I might add. You'll be headed back to New York tomorrow."

Liz was stunned. "Interview? With Will? In New York? No, I...I don't think I can, sir. Can't we just do a phone interview?"

Mr. Stevens smug smile disappeared. "No, this will make a great story. You're already obviously close with him, I want an in person interview. It's more personal this way, which will make for better ratings."

Liz had never seen her boss so insistent and demanding. She would have protested more, if it wasn't for the fact that he was her boss and he could fire her ass if he wanted.

"Umm...okay. What time?" She said wearily.

"I'll have Wendy e-mail you later. Best of luck, Elizabeth." Her boss said.

She nodded and promptly left the office. Back in the elevator, she screamed at the top of her lungs. "Fuck!"

This wasn't supposed to happen. She wasn't supposed to see him ever again. She kept replaying the letter in her head over and over again, no matter how hard she tried to forget it. She had made a huge mistake and she didn't want to face the man that she so wrongly accused.

Liz got to her desk and grabbed the letter and her purse. She then spoke to the woman in the cubicle next to her. "I'm calling it a day, Toni. If anyone asks where I am tell them to mind their own fucking business."

Without waiting for a reply, Liz stormed out of the building. _I need to go for a walk to clear my head and get my shit together._

* * *

After his employee left, Bob Stevens leaned back in his desk with a smirk on his face. He picked up the magazine. _They sure would make a great news story. _

15 minutes earlier on the phone:

_"Hello, Mr. Darcy?"_

_"Yes, who may I ask is calling?"_

_"This is Bob Stevens, head of _L.A Mag." _There was no response._

_"I am also Elizabeth Bennet's employer." Bob Stevens tried._

_"Oh, um, what is it that you wanted to talk about, Mr. Stevens?" Will Darcy's voice sounded a bit more eager now that he had brought up Elizabeth._

_"I have a proposition for you, Mr. Darcy."_

_"...I'm listening."_

_"It has come to my attention that you and Elizabeth are very close." Mr. Stevens glanced to the desk where the article about Will Darcy and his mystery girl in Central Park was. "And I would like to propose an interview."_

_"An interview with you?"_

_Bob chuckled. "Oh no, not me. You and Elizabeth Bennet. An interview to talk about your relationship. As she works for L.A Mag, it seems only logical that we should get the scoop first."_

_"There is no relationship. I'm sorry to disappoint." Will's voice became agitated._

_"Oh Mr. Darcy. I'm sure there isn't a relationship...yet."_

_"I really don't think it is any of your business, Mr. Stevens. So if that is all you have to say to me I better get going."_

_Bob Stevens became frantic. "Don't hang up, Mr. Darcy! Please, not yet." He waited to hear a response._

_"Alright, I'm still here."_

_"Now you might not want to hear me say this, but here it is: I have been working in the journalism business for over thirty years now. I have the magazine right in front of me, with pictures of the both of you. Now, in my thirty years of experience, I have picked up on a few things. One of them is how to hold in pee, because if you're waiting for an interview, there's not always a restroom nearby. The other is how to read faces. Mr. Darcy, don't tell me you are not in love with this woman. I have three pictures as proof."_

_There was a sigh on the other end. "I don't think she would want to see me."_

_Bob Stevens smiled. It worked. "Oh I can work that out. Just tell me that you'll do the interview."_

_Will paused for a moment before responding. "Okay. Yea, I want to do the interview."_

_"Great. Give me half an hour and I'll call you back."_

_"Sure." There was a click on the phone. They both hung up._

_Mr. Stevens got up from his desk and walked to his receptionists desk. "Wendy, stop what you're doing. I need you to call Miss Bennet and tell her to come to my office. It's important."_


	15. Old Friends

**A/N: **Chapter 15. The start of Pemberly! This story is moving very fast, I'm not sure how many chapters will be left but we're more than half way! Thanks for sticking with it.

P.S My 17th birthday is tomorrow so for my birthday I would like some reviews...please :)

**Ch. 15**

Liz neared home an hour later with her head a little clearer. Walking always helped ease her mind.

She knew she had to go back to New York, there was no way out of it. It was her job, after all. But what about Will? _He probably never wants to see me again. I'll just...act professional. I'm just doing my job, there will be no emotion at all. I am a stone cold journalist._

As she turned the corner to the street her building was located, a huge swarm of people clicking cameras in her face greeted her.

"Elizabeth! Liz! Look over here! Mind giving me a few words about your relationship with Will Darcy?" One asked.

"Yea, fuck off." _Why would they come to my home? The picture wasn't even a big deal, guys!. _She pushed past the dozen reporters and entered the lobby. At least her head was clear for a good ten minutes.

"Liz, your home early." Lydia looked a little surprised to see her older sister open the door to the apartment. "Did you see all those paparazzi outside? I wonder what they're here for."

"Yea, I needed to get out of the office." She responded, ignoring the second part. Liz took in her sisters appearance. Her makeup was on and she was dressed a little too fancy for a day of lounging around, watching tv. "Are you going out?" Liz asked her sister.

"Uhm...yea...I was." Lydia responded a bit suspiciously, but Liz didn't have time for her right now. She had her own shit to deal with.

"Okay, have fun. I'm going to go pack. I have to leave for New York tomorrow." Liz gave her sister a peck on the cheek.

"Cool. Bye." Lydia said before the door shut behind her.

"Well she seems to be in a rush." Liz muttered. Luckily, there were only a couple more days until Lydia would be back on a plane to Philly and Liz and Jane could stop playing babysitter.

Liz went into her room and pulled out her laptop. She sat on her bed with her legs crossed, checking to see if Mr. Stevens' assistant had already e-mailed her the plan.

Surely enough, she did. Liz opened up the e-mail.

_Ms. Bennet,_

_You will be arriving in Rochester, NY at six p.m tomorrow. Your hotel is a five minute drive from the airport, we've already booked you a room. The next morning, you will be arriving at the Darcy residence in Rochester at promptly ten a.m. Your flight plans and directions to Mr. Darcy's home are in an attached file._

Elizabeth opened the attachment with her flight times. By the looks of it, she would only have to spend one day with Will. She could handle that. _It's just a couple of hours, Liz _she kept telling herself as she packed her clothes.

Liz was so busy calming herself down that she didn't hear Jane walk into her room. "Hey Liz." Jane said gently from her position against the doorframe.

Liz was startled. "Oh, hi Jane. I didn't hear you come in. Why aren't you at work?"

"I could ask you the same question." Jane joked. "There was a problem with the lead actor today, she refused to leave her dressing room, so we had to stop shooting. They didn't need me to be around."

"Well, I'm glad you're home. I need to talk to you." Liz sat on her bed and pat the bed next to her, signaling Jane to sit with her.

"Yea, I have something I want to talk to you about too." Jane looked a little stern, but loving. She had a look that only Jane could make.

"Okay, you go first." Liz said.

"Mom told me about the conversation you two had yesterday. She told me about the picture. Why didn't you tell me that you saw Will Darcy in New York?"

Liz sighed. "I don't know. I think I'm kind of scared. Scared that I _might _have had feelings for him, but none of that matters because I can't. I can not and I _do not _have feelings for him."

Jane wrapped her arms around her sister. "Oh, Liz. I'm sorry you're going through that, but don't ever feel like you cant talk to me about it." Jane wasn't naive, she knew there was something going on between the two of them but she felt that if Liz wanted to talk about she would. Jane didn't need to bring it up herself.

Liz returned Jane's hug. "Thanks Janie. Now about the thing that I have to tell you..."

Liz told Jane all about how her boss set up the interview and how she had to leave for New York tomorrow.

"Poor Liz. But the sooner you can get it over with, the sooner you can come home." Jane rationalized with a clever smile.

Liz nodded her head in agreement.

* * *

An hour later, Liz was sitting in front of her tv with a carton of ice cream. Jane had left to go somewhere with Charlie and Lydia was God knows where.

Someone knocked on the door. Liz groaned. Human interaction was not what she wanted right now. And when she opened the door, the human in front of her was one she never wanted to interact with again.

"George." Liz sneered.

Her tone was lost on Wickham though. "Lizzy! I'm so glad to see you! I heard you went to New York." George pushed his way into the apartment.

"Yea." Liz walked back to the couch, leaving the door open, hoping Wickham would get the hint. He didn't. He just plopped himself down on the couch next to Liz.

"So...what are you watching?" Wickham asked casually.

"An old episode of _Friends_." Liz responded curtly.

"Cool. Cool. Speaking of old friends, I heard you had a run-in with Darcy. Must have been awful. I've heard what the tabloids are saying about you guys. So sorry you had to be around that sad excuse for a human being."

Liz put her ice cream down. The gloves were coming off. "Actually, I'm sitting right next to a sad excuse for a human right now, George. That's right, I know all about you and Georgie. The truth. Not the bullshit you fed me. Will Darcy is a good person." George blanched. "I want you to leave my apartment right now, and never come back. If I ever see you in the hall and you so much as look at me I will beat the shit out of you. I will finish what Will started. I suggest you move. Now _get out!" _

Liz was fuming. George didn't even try to defend himself, he just walked right out of her apartment, shutting the door behind him.

When she was alone again, Liz started sobbing. She ran to her room and reached in her purse, picking up the letter from Will. She read it over and over again. After the tenth time, Liz felt like the words were engrained in her mind. _What have I done? _She kept repeating to herself.

* * *

At 5:55 the next day. Elizabeth Bennet arrived at Greater Rochester International Airport. She got off the plane and made her way to the exit.

Liz was surprised to hear a familiar voice call from behind, "Elizabeth!" The deep voice could only belong to one person. Will Darcy. _Shit! _

Liz pivoted so that she could face Will. "Uh, hi Will. What are you doing here? I thought we were supposed to meet tomorrow."

Will smiled nervously. "We were. But I called your office to check what time you were getting in and I thought...or I hoped that you would want to come over for dinner. I mean, it beats being holed up in a hotel all night." He started fidgeting with his thumbs.

"Dinner?" Liz repeated.

Will's eyes widened when he realized that when he said dinner, she probably thought he meant dinner _date_. "Well, yea. I uhh...with my sister. I want you to meet my sister. She...she's around here somewhere."

Just as Will said this, a slender girl with long, dark hair walked up to them with a Starbucks coffee in her hand. She looked to be a few years younger than Elizabeth. "Sorry, Will. I really needed caffeine." The young woman said. "Oh, you must be Elizabeth!" She said when she noticed Liz standing there.

Liz stuck out her hand for a greeting. "Call me Liz. You must be Georgie." Liz said.

Georgie swatted her hand away and pulled Liz into an embrace. "It's so nice to meet you! I've heard so many great things about you."

"I'm sure you have." Liz responded. _I wonder what Will told his sister. Does she know that I know about George? She doesn't seem depressed, maybe she's better now. I can only hope...the poor girl has been through so much. _

"So, Will. Did you ask her about dinner?" Will nodded his head. "Good, so you're coming, right?" She eagerly asked Liz.

Liz could have said no. She would have gone to her hotel and sat around in her room wondering what would have happened if she had said yes. So, to avoid questioning herself later, wondering _what if, _Liz accepted the invitation.

"I guess I could for a little while..." Liz said.

"Yay!" Georgie clapped her hands which still held the piping hot coffee. "Let's go." She grabbed Liz with her free hand and directed her towards the door.

Will followed behind, hands in his pockets but a smile on his face.

* * *

The ride back to the Darcy residence was short but awkward. Georgie sat in the back seat, completely at ease, yet Liz was anything but.

She was trying not to focus on the fact that she was extremely nervous. Her stomach was doing backflips. Will didn't seen to hate her, but that was not what she expected.

"We're here." Will gently touched Liz's shoulder, who was staring out the window, admiring the beautiful landscape.

Liz looked in front of her to a huge, three story victorian house. It had a light blue siding and a wrap-around porch with adirondack chairs. It looked gorgeous in the dimming light. "Wow." Liz said.

Will smiled. "Yea, I like it, too. Let's go inside." Will suggested.

Georgie was already in the house talking to an older woman with graying hair.

"Hello." The woman smiled at Liz. "I'm Martha Reynolds, the families housekeeper."

"Oh, please." Will said. "You know you're more like family." He walked over to her and kissed her on the cheek.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Reynolds. I'm Liz Bennet." Liz shook Martha's hand.

"I know who you are sweetie." Mrs. Reynolds gave her a knowing smile. What she knew exactly, was beyond Liz.

Will cleared his throat. "Is dinner ready yet?" He asked.

"It is. I made your favorite. Chicken marsala."

Will smiled. "Great. Shall we?"

The food was already set on the table in the dining room. Will made it a point to pull out a chair for Elizabeth that was next to his. She blushed a little as she sat down. Mrs. Reynolds and Georgie just looked at each other and giggled. They both obviously liked each other.

Once their plates were full with delicious food, Liz said, "Your home is beautiful. What made you choose to live in Rochester?"

Will answered her. "It's quieter here. Paparazzi rarely ever come up here. I guess they just like to wait until I'm in L.A." He chuckled. "Besides, this house has been in my family for generations. My great grandfather built it."

"That's so nice. It's like your own little piece of history." Liz smiled at Will.

The rest of dinner was spent in idle chatter. It was mostly Georgie or Mrs. Reynolds asking Liz about herself. Will was mostly silent, but it was no longer the stiff and condescending silence she usually saw on him. It was a content silence. He was just happy to be home with Mrs. Reynolds and Georgie. _And seeing Elizabeth _He thought to himself.

When they finished, it was nearly nine o'clock.

"Thank you so much for dinner, but I think I should be getting to my hotel. I have to get a good nights sleep in order to put up with Will tomorrow." Liz joked.

"Well why don't you just stay here?" Georgie suggested.

"Oh, I couldn't. I don't want to impose."

"You wouldn't be imposing. Right, Will?" Georgie look to her brother with pleading eyes.

"No imposition at all." Will said warmly. "We would love to have you. And besides, you'll be here tomorrow. Why not just stay the night?"

_So much for only spending a couple hours in Will's company. _But oddly, she didn't mind it. The dinner reminded her of their day in central park, both of them at ease. There was, however, one thing that Liz needed to address. Once she apologized, she would feel completely at ease.

"Okay. I guess it would make more sense." Liz admitted.

"Super! We can have a sleepover! It will be so fun!" Georgie squealed as she attacked Liz with another hug.

"I'll go get your bag. I left it in the car." Will said.

Liz nodded her thanks, but then was pulled into the living room by Georgie.

"This is so exciting! I haven't had a sleepover in the longest time! I mean, I know I'm an adult, but still." Georgie laughed. "I feel like I know you so much already. Will has told me so much."

"What did he say?" Liz asked, curious to know what he told his sister.

"Well, he said that you are really pretty and that you are so passionate when you speak. And that you're an amazing writer. He's read a lot of your articles. He really likes you."

"I don't think he feels that way anymore." Liz said shyly.

"Not unless he changed his mind since dinner. I see the way he looks at you." Georgie turned serious. Liz blushed. She didn't really know what to say.

The door opened and Will stepped in with Liz's bag. "I'm gonna put this in one of the guest rooms upstairs."

Liz smiled. "Thanks, Will." Will headed up the stairs to the second floor. She then turned back to Georgie, who looked oddly fidgety, as if she was thinking of what to say next.

"Liz...I know that Will told you...about George. And everything that happened." The girl looked down to her lap, not able to make eye contact with Liz.

Liz bit her lip. "I promise I won't tell anyone, Georgie." Liz put a reassuring hand on Georgie's shoulder.

Georgie's eyes shot up. "Oh, no! I didn't think you would! I trust you Liz. I gave Will permission to tell you because I didn't want a huge misunderstanding to keep you apart. I wanted him to tell you because I didn't want you to believe George and fall for his lies like I did."

"I did fall for his lies. But I haven't suffered nearly as much as you have."

Georgie nodded and visibly swallowed. "When I found out I was pregnant, I has such a wide range of emotions. Hopeful that maybe George did love me deep down, sad that I had a future ahead of me that I had to completely reimagine. Depressed because I would have to take care of a child without a father. But despite all those sad emotions, I was overjoyed with the fact that I would be able to have a baby. I mean, it's not how I imagined it would happen, but I still wanted to keep it. There was no question on whether or not I should keep it. Will was helping me, he promised he would help me take care of the baby. But even then, I lost it. I lost my baby. I was devastated after the miscarriage. Will was such a great brother, always trying to cheer me up. I've gotten to the point where I don't cry every time I think about it." Georgie paused, eyes glistening.

Liz pulled her arms around Georgie in a hug but said nothing.

"I'm telling you this because I wanted you to know the entire story. My side of the story."

Liz nodded. "Thank you for trusting me with so much. You are such a strong girl, Georgie."

Georgie smiled, only a hint of sadness still there. "There is one good thing that came of it." Georgie got up from the sofa and gestured to Liz that she would be back in a minute.

When she came back, Georgie had her hands full with a little bundle of fur. "After my miscarriage, Will got me a dog." She held out the dog to Liz and Liz picked the dog up eagerly.

"It's so cute! Is this a Jack Russell Terrier? Oh my gosh I might just have to steal your dog Georgie!" Liz cooed over the dog who wagged it's tail with the attention.

Georgie chuckled. "Thanks, but you are _not _stealing my dog! Her name is Bella, by the way."

"Aww, what a cute name." Liz started talking to the dog in a baby voice. "Oh aren't you just a little cutie. I have already fallen in love with you. Yes I have, you little precious baby." Bella licked Liz's face.

Georgie smiled. "She is like my baby." Georgie pet Bella's head. The look on her face a mixture or sadness and contentment.

* * *

Will stayed in the shadows for a few minutes after he came downstairs. He heard almost all of Liz and Georgie's conversation. He smiled when he heard how Liz handled it all. Liz was definitely good for his sister.

And how she treated the dog! Will wished he would show that kind of attention to him.

When he heard Georgie say "I wonder where Will is..." he knew that he has to step out of the shadows. He turned around the corner and into the room where Georgie, Liz and Bella were, trying to make it look nonchalant and as if he wasn't just eavesdropping. Being an actor, he though it would be a lot easier than it actually was.

"Oh there you are!" Georgie said, already suspicious that her brother had heard their conversation.

"Yup, right here." Will said nervously.

"So what do you want to do guys?" Georgie asked.

Liz shrugged. "How 'bout we play a board game?" Will suggested.

"Sure, sounds fun." Liz agreed.

Georgie clapped her hands together. "Okay! I'll go get the board games!"


	16. Internal Battles

**A/N: **This chapter is dedicated to the iron piece in Monopoly, R.I.P. For those of you who don't know, the iron piece is being taken out of production and is instead being replaced by...a cat. This just goes to show that when you let America vote on something, cats always win...

Aaanywaaay...not my best chapter. Feedback, please?

**Ch. 16**

Liz, Will, and Georgie were all occupied with board games for a couple of hours. During Monopoly, Georgie made an observation.

"You know, Will, we haven't played this game in such a long time." She rolled the die and moved her iron five spaces.

Will smiled longingly. "Yea, I think it was with mom and dad." He then took his turn and moved his top hat ten spaces.

Georgie smiled sadly too. "I miss them."

"Me too, Gee. But they would be very proud of you, you know." Will ruffled his sisters hair.

"Thanks Will." Georgie reached over to hug her older brother. Will returned the hug, closing his eyes to hide the tears that were forming there.

As Liz watched their moment, she couldn't help but feel like she was intruding on their moment. The two siblings obviously cared for each other, and they had been through so much together.

Will and Georgie broke off their hug. "Well, that was a bit of a downer. Let's think of happier things." Georgie said.

Liz smiled in understanding. "So I hear that you're graduating soon. Where do you go to school?"

"Yes, I am in May! And I'm so excited. I go to Colgate, but I'm home for the week because I wanted to visit Will. I haven't seen him for a couple of months." Georgie responded.

"That's so soon. What's your major?" Liz asked inquisitively.

_"_I'm majoring in Educational Studies. I want to be a teacher." Georgie smiled.

"That's great, Georgie. You would make an amazing teacher."

Georgie responded with a 'thanks' and bright red cheeks. _Such as sweet girl_, Liz thought.

Their game of Monopoly continued after that, with a little sibling rivalry between Will and Georgie. But half an hour later Georgie was yawning uncontrollably.

"Why don't you go to bed, Gee." Will suggested.

She nodded and got up from her spot on the floor, taking a sleeping Bella with her. Before she went upstairs, she gave both Will and Liz a hug and headed for the staircase. "I'm so glad I got a chance to meet you, Liz." Georgie told Liz from the bottom of the steps. Liz smiled back at her.

"I think I should get to bed too. We have a full day ahead of us. Lot's of cleaning up to do after that whole paparazzi thing."

Will smiled a little. "You're probably right. It is getting late." His eyes moved to the grandfather clock in the corner of the room. "It's already past midnight."

Liz started cleaning up the game, but Will stopped her by touching her hand gently. "I'll get it, Elizabeth. You can head upstairs."

His hand was still in hers when she responded. "Okay, right. Goodnight Will."

"Goodnight Elizabeth." Will said, letting go of her hand.

Once Liz was upstairs and in the solitude of the guest bedroom, she sat on her bed to think. Her hand still burned from his touch, and she still had butterflies in her stomach. _But tomorrow Will and I will have to clear up our relationship for the media. The is nothing there and there never will be. _She tried repeating it to herself over and over again as she lay in bed, but sleep never came.

The next day Liz got up at promptly nine, having only slept three hours the night before. Liz stepped out of the comfortable bed and went down to the kitchen.

Mrs. Reynolds was already there making eggs with bacon. It smelled heavenly. "Good morning, Elizabeth. I trust you slept well?" The kind old lady asked.

Liz smiled. "Barely. Don't get me wrong, the bed was so comfortable I felt like I was laying on a cloud, but I had a lot on my mind."

Mrs. Reynolds nodded in understanding and handed Liz a cup of coffee. "Breakfast will be ready in a little bit. Will should be down soon, I heard him getting in the shower just a little bit ago. And Georgie might be another hour before we can get her lazy butt out of bed." Mrs. Reynolds joked.

"Thanks" Liz replied. "So do you enjoy working for the Darcy's?"

"Oh, yes. Such a loving family, despite all they have been through. I love working for them. Those children are like my own. I would often look after them when they were young and their parents were out of town." She smiled and looked out the window, as if remembering a time when the siblings were a lot younger.

"I heard that his parents worked on Broadway."

Mrs. Reynolds nodded. "Yes. Amazing stage actors, especially Mrs. Darcy. So beautiful and elegant. They inspired Will to act, too. I think his acting is a way to still remember them." The old woman handed Liz a plate full of eggs, bacon, and hash browns. "He was a very good kid. Still is."

"He is, isn't he?" Liz agreed.

"Who is?" Someone's deep voice asked as they entered the kitchen. Will came in with a fresh t-shirt, shorts, and damp hair.

"No one, dear." Mrs. Reynolds winked at Liz and Liz giggled.

"Oh I see how it is. You've only just met and you're already keeping secrets from me." Will joked.

"Girls have got to have secrets, don't they?" Liz quipped.

Will shrugged. "So when will this interview take place?"

"Whenever you want. We have all day. But would it be okay if I took a shower and got dressed into some actual clothes?" Liz looked down to her brightly colored pajama shorts and worn t-shirt. She had anticipated staying in a hotel room.

"Of course." Will swallowed a bite of bacon.

"Great. I guess I'll do that now. Thank you so much for the breakfast Mrs. Reynolds."

"No problem sweetie." The older woman responded.

Liz went upstairs. When she was out of hearing distance, Mrs. Reynolds told Will, "I like her. She's a keeper."

When Liz came downstairs after a long shower, Georgie was comfortably situated in the living room petting Bella and working on homework and Will was sitting opposite Georgie with the newspaper.

Liz's shower hadn't helped to clear her mind one bit. She was thinking of what to say, what to ask. She felt weird. She was in a celebrities home but to her he just seemed so...normal, reading a newspaper, spending time with his little sister. Was this how all celebrities acted when they weren't in the public eye? It felt so homey.

"Oh, hello, Elizabeth. Are you ready to get started?" Will asked when he looked up from his newspaper and saw that she was looking at him.

"Yea, all ready. Where do you want to do this?" Liz asked.

"How 'bout we go outside?" He suggested.

"Great. Lead the way." Liz motioned with her hands towards the window that had a perfect view of the backyard.

Will put down his newspaper and and got up from his chair. "Have fun you guys." Georgie winked and them. Liz laughed nervously.

Will made his way out to the patio next to the pool with Liz following behind, wringing her hands. One of the questions she asked herself in the shower was echoing in her mind: how was she going to bring up the subject of George? She felt like she has to apologize. Throw herself at his feet and beg for forgiveness, maybe.

Will didn't even seem to notice Liz battling in her mind. He was scared out of his wits, too. The press thought they were a couple, what was so wrong with that? It's exactly what Will wanted, _but did Elizabeth? _He kept asking himself.

They sat down on the patio chairs, worn from use and years in the sun. Liz took out her iPhone and opened the app that would record their conversation so that she could put in into an article later.

"Ready?" Liz asked, a little uneasy.

Will nodded. "Ready."

Liz pressed the record button and the app flashed bright red. Liz took a deep breath. "So...Will Darcy..."


	17. Don't Dwell

**A/N:** I'm sorry... To answer the question "Why you no update?"...It's finals week (well, officially next week but most of mine are this week) so I've been a bit busy and to be honest I didn't really know how to write this part. I think it turned out fine, though.

Thanks for sticking with it. You have no idea how happy you guys make me.

**Ch. 17**

"So...Will Darcy..." Liz started, "What⎯no. Why did you...I" She paused, thinking of the right words. "God, I'm sorry. I'm not usually like this during interviews. I just don't know what to say when the thing we're supposed to be talking about also involves me."

"This whole thing is a little weird, isn't it? I mean it should be so easy to just say 'no, we're not is a relationship.'"

Liz nodded in agreement. "I mean, my boss wants a whole spread on this, but there's not much to say, right? It's just a simple statement: no, we are not in a relationship."

Will looked down to his hands and fidgeted a little before he looked up again. "Yea, of course."

As hard as Will tried, he couldn't stop his face from showing his disappointment. _Why is it so hard for me to realize that she doesn't have any feelings for me? _

Sensing that Will wasn't going to say anything else, Liz said "You know, some paparazzi showed up at my apartment building the other day."

Will looked a little shocked. "Oh god, Elizabeth, I'm sorry. I didn't think they would bother you."

"Why? Because I'm not famous like you?" Liz challenged. Will was about to defend himself, telling her she misconstrued what he said, but the sparkle in her eyes let Will know that she was only teasing him. He chuckled.

"No, I just thought that I wasn't a big enough deal to have the paparazzi chase around some woman that was in a picture with me."

Liz laughed. "Oh trust me, Mr. Darcy, you are as big as it gets."

Will smiled. "I owe it all to my parents." His smile vanished and he started fidgeting nervously with his hands again, a family trait it seemed. "They, uh, they died in a car accident."

Liz was silent, thinking that it was best to allow him to speak on his own accord. She covered her own hands with his still fidgety ones, seeming to have an immediate calming effect.

Will took in a deep breath, signaling the start of a story that he was about to tell. "It was a couple months after I moved to California. Mrs. Reynolds already told you they were big Broadway stars. They were the ones that encouraged me to act. I started doing plays at a local theatre, but after college, I wanted something new. I wanted to try movies. My parents weren't really into the film industry, They preferred live stage, they said it was more real. So they were naturally skeptical when I got my first role. The filming was is Los Angeles, so I decided to move there.

"After I finished my first movie, I encouraged my parents to come to L.A to visit because they had never been there before. After months, they finally agreed. One of their conditions was that they would drive all the way from New York to California, they were never really big on flying. They were so excited to come see me." Will paused as tears came out of his eyes.

Liz, who was sitting on the chair next to him, scooted closer and brought Will into a hug. She was never good with emotions or comforting crying people, especially incredibly gorgeous men. She pat his back awkwardly. "It's okay" she whispered into his ear.

Will nodded and Liz released her grip on Will. Will sniffled and rubbed the tears from his eyes with the back of his hand.

Just then, Liz's phone that was on a table near them rang. It was her sister, probably just checking up on her. "Sorry" she mumbled as she silenced her phone, completely forgetting that her phone was recording their conversation.

"It's fine. You know, I cry all the time in movies, but they are never real tears. I never cry. I must look like an emotional sap right now."

Liz shook her head. "No you don't. It's natural to be emotional about your parents death. You're a lot stronger then I would be in your situation" Liz offered. She knew she couldn't possibly know how he felt, but she could try to rationalize his feelings. He was human, after all.

"I blame myself for their death, though. If I hadn't moved to Los Angeles, they would have never decided to drive across the country. They would have never gotten in an accident and they would still be alive today."

"You can't blame yourself, Will. I feel like you hold such a great weight on your shoulders. Your parents death, Georgie's pregnancy. You can't live your life blaming yourself for everything that you wish had turned out differently."

"You're right." Will responded. "I shouldn't blame myself, but I do, especially what happened to Georgie."

Liz sighed, trying to think of a way to convince him. "Will, what happened to her was most definitely not your fault. George Wickham is a sad piece of shit who doesn't even deserve to be in your thoughts. There are so many things to be happy about in your life, focus on them. Forget about Wickham, for your and your sister's sake."

When Will didn't respond immediately, she spoke faster, attempting to get something off her chest that she had been thinking about for a while "I read the letter, and I just want to tell you that I feel like a bitch for what I said to you and I'm so sorry I even believed George for a second. You didn't deserve to be yelled at, but it's not your fault, you know, about what happened and I⎯"

"Elizabeth." Will interrupted calmly. "You didn't know any better back then. I don't blame you."

"But I still feel horrible whenever I think about it." Liz admitted.

"Well don't. I had been a complete dick to you."

"I have an idea. How about we both stop blaming ourselves for things that happened in the past. There will always be things that are out of our control, why dwell on them when there are better things to remember?"

"I'll try..." Will wiped the last of his tears.

Liz pat him on the back. "Good. Now how 'bout we go inside and hang out with Georgie. We can finish this later. My flight isn't until late tonight." She suggested. Will agreed. Having just cried in front of the woman he really liked, if not loved, caused him to not want to talk about relationships anymore.

Liz put her phone in her back pocket and Will held the door open for her. When they reached the living room they saw Mrs. Reynolds and Georgie talking intently. They both stopped when they noticed Will and Liz standing under the doorway.

"Oh good, you're both here. How did the interview go?" Mrs. Reynolds asked slyly.

"We didn't really get a chance to finish. We were talking about other things." Liz and Will looked at each other, silently agreeing to not speak of their conversation to anyone, especially Georgie. It would just be their little secret.

"Well you can finish later." Georgie said as she grabbed Liz and Will's hands and lead them to the family room. "Martha and I were just about to watch a movie."

"What time is your flight, sweetie?" Mrs. Reynolds asked Liz.

"Uhhh...sometime later tonight. Around eight, I think. I forgot to check earlier." Liz just now remembered that she would have to return to L.A later tonight. As frustrated as she was that she had to come to Rochester, she was a little disappointed that her business here would soon be concluded. Liz would have to write her article, she would probably just ask Will for a quote or two, mostly a fluff piece. A full interview wasn't really necessary, was it?

"What movie are we going to watch?" Will asked, bringing Liz out of her thoughts.

"My favorite," Mrs. Reynolds said. "_Stranger than Fiction."_

"Oh I love that movie!" Liz commented as Georgie put the DVD into the player.

And so they watched the movie in relative comfort. Liz and Will sat next to each other, not too close as to suggest there was something between but not too far as they were at Netherfield.

Little did Liz know, the silent phone in her back pocket was ringing, her older sister pleading for her to pick up.


	18. Lost Forever

**A/N: **Oh. My. Gosh. I am so sorry for such a long delay but it's summer vacation and even the girl who usually sits in her room and does nothing was busy. But I won't bore you with my summer (which, by the way, was totally awesome). Anyway, the last few days have been kinda...weird. Long story short, Agatha Christie is my new obsession.

But don't think I have forgotten about you at all. In fact, I felt extremely guilty all summer while I was trying to enjoy my vacation. So, thanks guys, you subconsciously made me feel guilty for having left you. It's okay, I forgive you.

This is not my best chapter, and I didn't edit because it's 1 am. So, uh, sorry. But I would love your feedback, please?

**Ch. 18 **

When the movie was over they all sat in the usual post-movie awkward silence until Mrs. Reynolds broke it. "I hope you all enjoyed the movie as much as I did. It's one of my favorites."

Liz nodded her head. "It really is a great movie. I like the message it sends. The same isn't always better, sometimes when you are forced to move out of your comfort zone you can experience new things, better things."

Georgie agreed. "Well said, Liz." Georgie then threw a pointed glance at her brother, as if trying to tell him something.

"What time is it?" Liz asked, pulling out her phone. "Shoot, I have ten missed calls from Jane and a couple others from Mary and Cate. I wonder why they're all calling. Excuse me." Liz got up from her spot on the couch and moved into another room to listen to the voicemails that Jane left for her over an hour ago.

When Liz heard the panic in Jane's voice, she froze.

_"Oh, Liz, I know you are working and I don't mean to be a bother but when you get this message can you call back. Something happened and I just wanted to let you know. I hope by the time you call back everything will be alright." _Liz then heard the dial tone and the computerized voice that said "End of message." She quickly moved on to the next one, hoping that whatever the problem was, it had already been taken care of.

_"Liz, I am so sorry to bother you again, but umm..." _The phone was quiet on the other end for a few seconds, but Liz could hear the faint noise of Jane sobbing. Her heart started beating faster. What happened? Did Charlie break up with Jane? Did someone die? "_Liz, Lydia is missing." _A more audible cry came from the phone, Liz was sure that her heart had stopped. How could Lydia have gone missing? Liz had just seen her two days ago.

_"Lydia didn't come home last night, and when I tried her phone it didn't work. Charlie told me not to panic, but a day had passed and I still hadn't heard from her so we decided to call the police. Mom, Dad, Mary and Cate are flying out to help look for her. But I'm scared, Liz. She doesn't know Los Angeles well and I'm afraid she's lost forever." _The message ended. Liz felt tears well up in her eyes, but she pressed the next one, hoping that it brought the good news that Lydia had been found. It was Charlie's voice on Jane's cell phone.

"_Hey, uh, Liz I know you are working now but when you get this can you call back. Jane is a wreck right now and I think she needs you. The rest of your family is flying out right now, but I think she really needs you home. I know that you're doing that interview with Will and if you haven't finished it yet I can talk to your boss. As Will's agent, I could just tell your boss that an interview isn't needed. We could just make a public statement. Anyway, it doesn't matter. Forget about the interview and come back to L.A._" Charlie pleaded on the other end of the line. Liz could hear the desperate panic in his voice.

She couldn't help herself anymore, she started sobbing violently. What was she going to do? _Well, first thing I'm going to do is get on the next plane back to LAX. I can't wait until tonight to fly back _Liz thought to herself.

Just then, Will came around the corner. He was smiling until he noticed Liz's tear stained face and puffy eyes. "Oh my gosh, Elizabeth. Is everything okay?" His features showed genuine concern. He hated to see her sad.

Liz shook her head. "No, nothing is okay. Jane called and said that my sister, Lydia, is missing. She does't know where she is or who she is with. My little baby sister is lost in Los Angeles and I'm scared I'll never see her again." The statement brought more tears to Liz's eyes as the realization that she might never see Lydia again fully hit her.

Will was by her side in a matter of seconds, with his warm arm wrapped around her. Liz leaned into his chest and cried, a bitter laugh escaping from her mouth when she remembered that the same thing had happened only hours ago, except the roles were switched.

"I think we've both seen each other at our most vulnerable." Liz said into Will's chest.

He pulled away slightly so he could look at her. Then, he carefully wiped the tears form her cheeks with his thumb. "Well, at least we trust each other enough to let our guards down around each other. Now, when was the last time you saw your sister. Do you know where she was going at the time?" Will asked, attempting to be a little helpful.

"No, I have no idea where she was going. She was dressed up, well, dressed up for Lydia. She looked like she was going out to a party or something. But she doesn't know anyone in L.A besides me and Jane." Liz sniffled. "I have to get home. I have to look for the next flight back, Charlie said he would take care of my boss."

"Charlie?" Will asked. "Does he know about your sister going missing?"

Liz wiped her eyes again. "Yea, he was with Jane when she decided to call the police."

Will nodded. "Okay, I'll look for another flight and you go pack your bags. We can be at the airport in as little as one hour."

"Will, you don't have to help me. This is my problem. I can handle it." Liz insisted. Part of her wanted his help, but another, more stubborn part, said she didn't need his help.

"I insist. It is no trouble. Now go pack your bags, we don't want to waste any time."

Liz looked at him for a minute, about to protest. But then she realized that arguing would be futile...and it would just waste the little time she had. She quickly nodded and raced up the steps two at a time to pack her bag.

In the guest room, she haphazardly threw items into her bag, not caring how she packed or if she forgot anything. Five minutes later she came down the steps with her bag in hand and Will already had a plane ticket printed off his computer.

He handed her the ticket. "I booked a non-stop flight that leaves in two hours. It was the soonest one. Let me just tell Martha and Georgie we're leaving and I'll drive you to the airport."

Will started moving toward the family room, but Liz grabbed his arm and stopped him. "Will, thanks for the ticket. I'll pay you back."

"No need." Will waved her off. Before she could protest more, he grabbed her hand and pulled her into the living room.

"Where have you guys been?" Georgie asked playfully, unaware of the current situation.

"A...situation...has come up and Liz has to go home. I'm taking her to the airport right now." Will answered, concealing why she needed to leave.

"Oh no!" Georgie exclaimed. "We were having so much fun."

"I know." Liz and Georgie embraced each other. "I'm really glad I met you, you're such a wonderful person, Georgie." Liz whispered to Georgie, her eyes stinging. Although she had just met Georgie, she was sad to be leaving her so soon. Georgie was just the kind of girl she would have loved to have for a sister, not that she would trade any of her silly sisters.

"I'll really miss you, Liz." Georgie responded, equally as sad to see her new friend have to go so soon. "Now, listen, I stole your phone last night and put my number in it. It's under 'Georgie is the cat's pajamas,' don't ask why, I didn't really think it through. Promise to call when you get back to L.A?" Georgie asked hopefully.

"Oh course I will." Liz forced a smile. She was feeling anything _but _happy right now.

"Great, I'll be waiting." Georgie said as she moved out of the way so that Mrs. Reynolds could say goodbye.

"Goodbye, dear." Mrs. Reynolds hugged Liz.

"Bye, Mrs. Reynolds. It was so nice to meet you."

"You as well." Mrs. Reynolds said.

Will looked at his watch and, realizing the time, started to usher Liz out of the room. "Okay, so we're off to the airport now. I'll be back in a couple of hours. I just want to see to it that Elizabeth gets on the plane safe."

Both Mrs. Reynolds and Georgie then waved to Will, feeling as though he was in too much of a rush for a hug goodbye. He took Liz's bag from her hands and threw it into the trunk before opening the car door for Liz.

As they pulled out of the driveway, Liz took out her phone again. "I'm just going to call Jane and tell her I'm on my way home" she explained to Will before searching her contacts and pressing send.

Someone picked up the phone. "_Liz? Where are you? We've been trying to get in touch with you forever._" Mary, Liz's sister, explained. "_We don't need another member of this family going M.I.A._"

"Sorry, Mary. I'm on my way home right now. I'm taking the next flight from Rochester to LAX." Liz momentarily looked at the plane ticket in her hand and informed her sister of her flight number.

"_Great._" Mary replied, a little distracted. "_Listen, mom is lying on the couch in hysterics right now. When Jane called to tell us Lydia was missing, she flipped a shit. She was wailing the entire plane ride. I swear she was worse than a crying baby on an airplane. Anyway, Jane was trying to calm her, but she just came into the kitchen cursing, which is very un-Jane. So now it's my turn to soothe the momster. Gotta go, see you when you get here Liz." _

The phone went quiet for a moment. Mary probably had put the phone onto the table without hanging it up.

"Hello?" Liz asked the phone, wondering if anyone was at the other end of the line.

There was some crackling, and then breathing before Jane spoke. "_Hey, Liz_" Jane said wearily.

"Hey Janie, I'm on my way home." Liz matched her tone. "Has mom worn you out yet?"

"_A thousand times over. I needed a break so Mary went to distract her with_ The Real Housewives."

"Ugh, you guys really shouldn't be letting her watch those kinds of shows. It just fuels her drama queen fire." Will looked over to Liz with a questioning look but she just shrugged and returned to her conversation with Jane. "So, what's the situation with Lydia. What has happened on that front since your last message?"

"_Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. When the police questioned Cate, she said that the last communication she had from Lydia was a...oh what do you call them...a Snapchat from the day she went missing. She said the photo was of her and a guy at a party, drinking and whatnot. Cate described the man as blonde, blue eyes, good looking, and several inches taller than Lydia, from the picture. When the police recovered the photo, would you believe who it was? George Wickham! I mean, it makes sense how they could have met, but I can't believe that he would hang around Lydia, from what Charlie said, he's at least ten years older than her!"_

"Oh, I can believe he would do that, preying on young girls. He's a sick person, Jane." Liz sighed. "I should have told you before I left about him, I should have warned Lydie."

Liz's eyes stung once again as she felt tears coming on.

"_What are you talking about, Liz? Do you know something I don't?" _Jane questioned her sister.

"I'll tell you about it when I get home. Now's not the time." She glanced at Will, who had his eyes on the road, gripping the steering wheel tight, pretending not to listen. "I'm going to hang up now, Jane. I'll call when I land to see if there is any new developments."

Jane said goodbye and Liz pressed the "end call" button_. _She wanted to scream, she was so mad at George Wickham for taking advantage of her little sister. She was mad at her sister for being stupid enough to even go somewhere with Wickham. She was mad at herself for being to busy dealing with her own problems the last time she saw her sister that she hadn't even spent more than a minute talking to her. But most of all, she was sad. Sad that she would never see her sister again.

Liz's tears had run out. Her eyes were puffy and red and she probably looked like hell. But that didn't matter because all that she cared about in that moment was getting back to her family. They needed her right now just as much as she needed them. For a couple of minutes after she ended the call, she just stared out the window. It was getting late out. The sun was starting to set. It would have been romantic in...different circumstances.

Will startled her when he spoke. "I couldn't help but hear your conversation with Jane. George Wickham is behind this?" His voice was cold and detached, almost as if he had reverted back to the Will she first met.

Liz was a little surprised at the tone in his voice. "Yes" she said quietly. _What must he think of my family? Did he hear _everything_? Even when I was talking to Mary?_

Will didn't say anything more. Luckily, they had nearly reached the Airport.

He dropped Liz off on the curb, retrieving her bag for her without a word. "Thanks. For everything. I had a really great time with...your sister." Liz mumbled. She felt really lame in that moment. She was about to say that she had a good time with him, but she caught herself. His cold demeanor, seeming to start after the mention of Wickham, signaled to Liz that he wasn't interested.

"You're welcome." Will put his hands in his pocket and looked down. "Well, I hope everything turns out well with your family. Goodbye Elizabeth." He made a move to hug her, but decided not to, fearing that it wasn't appropriate considering the situation. Instead, he settled on a handshake, which Liz returned with some reluctance after staring at his hand for a few seconds.

"Goodbye, Will." Liz said before she turned toward the sliding doors of the airport entrance.

Once she was out of view, Will slammed his hand against his car while cursing Wickham. Of course he would swoop in again and ruin things for him. Last time it was his family, this time his chances with Elizabeth.

He also felt a strong sense of guilt. None of this would have happened if he hadn't done something about Wickham the last time around. He hated to see Elizabeth cry, it tore him to pieces. And to think that he could have prevented those tears made him feel sick.

Will had to do something. He couldn't let George Wickham harm another family. Especially not Elizabeth's. Without giving much thought to what he was going to do, Will rushed over to a valet at one of the curbside stations. Quickly he handed the valet his keys and searched for a few large bills from his wallet, more than enough to cover a few days parking. "Here, take this. I need you to park my car." Will pointed to a sleek black car.

The stunned valet finally spoke. "But, sir. You have to fill out a card first. First of all, we need your name."

By this time, Will was starting to back away towards the same entrance Liz had gone in. "You know who I am." Then, he disappeared through the door, leaving the valet with his mouth hanging open and the oddest encounter of his career.

A passerby who had seen the exchange told the valet, "Dude, that's Will Darcy, the famous actor!"

* * *

**A/N:** Sorry for bringing Snapchat into this...Akkkk.


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